Emotionally Compromised
by coffeeandquills
Summary: Despite his mother's best efforts, Spock refuses to get in touch with his human emotions. After journeying to Starfleet, Kirk and Uhura take it upon themselves to teach Spock about human culture and what it really means to be a human. This story blends the events of the 2009 movie, the Original Series, and my own imaginings. Rated T just in case.
1. Chapter 1

***Note: I do not own any of the characters. All property belongs to their respected owners. Please let me know if I got something wrong; I'll do my best to fix it. Feel free to share or spread it around as much as you want, but please give credit where credit is due! Thanks for reading!

**Emotionally Compromised**

**Prologue**

Amanda Grayson shifted uncomfortably in bed. She was trying not to wake her husband. Moonlight streamed into their room from many windows, the gentle wind ruffling their thin, white curtains. Amanda knew she would not be able to sleep tonight. She couldn't help but wonder if tonight was the night. She had never been pregnant before, so she didn't know.

A strange sensation rippled through her body, something which she knew must be a contraction, because of the immense amount of pain that came along with it. A cold sweat broke out on her forehead, and she inhaled sharply. She was frightened all of the sudden.

Amanda rolled over as best she could and shook her husband on the shoulder in an attempt to wake him up. "Sarek," she whispered. He stirred, but he did not wake. "Sarek!" she said loudly.

He awoke with a start. "What is it?" he asked, rubbing his eyes and propping himself up on his elbow. His hair stuck out in every direction.

"I'm having the baby, Sarek," she said, forcing a smile.

Sarek's eyes widened in alarm. "Oh," was all he could manage.

Despite all of the agonizing pain and backbreaking effort, Amanda was the happiest woman alive when her baby boy was born. The doctors cleaned him up a little and then handed him to her after wrapping him in a warm, soft blanket.

Smiling broadly at her sleeping son, she glanced up at her husband perched beside her. He caught her glance, and smiled back at her. That took Amanda by surprise. Sarek hardly ever smiled. In fact, she could not even remember the last time he had.

"We are blessed with a handsome son," Sarek said.

Amanda traced her fingers over the tip of her son's delicately pointed ear. "We are. He is so wonderful. I love him, Sarek." She paused and giggled. "He has your ears."

"Clearly," he replied, not getting the joke. Sarek rested his hand briefly on his wife's shoulder. "You did a good job."

"Thanks," she said with a laugh.

"What shall we call him?" Sarek asked.

"He should have a Vulcan name, so the other children don't hassle him too badly, but…I would like it if he had a human middle name," she admitted.

"That still does not answer my question, Amanda. What shall we call him?"

Amanda thought about this for a long time. "Spock," she finally said. "His name is Spock."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter One**

Spock was eight years old and had grown into an extremely intelligent, very serious young boy. He was a genius, even by Vulcan standards. Mostly soft-spoken, he had more difficulty controlling his emotions than the other Vulcan children.

Short for his age, Spock had very dark hair, cut in what his mother fondly referred to as a "bowl cut." He did not know what exactly that meant. His mother also often told him that he had his father's wise brown eyes, though Spock did not know how eyes could be wise.

Spock got ready for school quickly in the morning. He loved to learn, and absorbed knowledge and facts like a dry sponge absorbs water. After he ate a simple breakfast, Spock grabbed his school bag from the hall and started to leave.

"Spock!" his mother called from the kitchen. "Come here, please!"

He turned back around, slung the strap of his bag over his shoulder, and obediently found his mother in the kitchen. "Yes, mother?" he asked.

His mother smiled at him. She was doing the breakfast dishes. Though she could have had a whole host of servants doing them for her, she preferred to do the chores herself. She often said it made her feel normal, and that it reminded her of her life on her native planet.

"Are you ready for school?" she asked, drying her hands with a rag.

"Yes, mother."

She bent down and kissed him once on each cheek. "Have a good day today, sweetheart," she said."

"I will try, mother," he said. He turned to go.

Amanda hesitated, and then said, "Spock?"

He stopped in the doorway and turned around. "Yes, mother?"

"I love you," she said, a small smile on her face.

Spock gave a short nod, acknowledging that he had heard her expression of affection for him. He walked back down the hall with a heavy heart. He never replied to her when she said things like this because he didn't know if he should or not. He didn't know if it was normal for a Vulcan to love, let alone run around telling people about it. His father did not do such things, so he concluded that it must be his human DNA having all these emotional impulses.

Spock got on the shuttle and sat down quietly in his seat. The children all sat in complete and utter silence the whole ride to school. When they arrived, they filed neatly out in careful rows.

The school was a large room, with compartments in the ground. Each child would get into a compartment, and a three hundred and sixty degree computer would turn on and play lectures and ask questions at lightning speeds.

Spock climbed into his compartment, eager to start the day. His compartment turned on, and Spock became engulfed in a sea of equations and scientific formulas. Science was his favorite subject of them all. Nothing could captivate his attention like science did.

Before he knew it, his computer had turned off. School was over for the day. Spock blinked, his eyes swimming from staring at a screen for so long. He climbed out of his compartment and started packing up his supplies. Bending over to tie his show, he marveled at how quickly an entire day could pass when you were learning something.

"Hello, Spock," a stiff voice said.

Spock paused before replying, "Hello. I assume you have come up with more insults for me today?" Standing behind Spock were three teenaged Vulcan boys. They were at least twice his own height.

"Yes, we have come up with some new material," one of them said in a rather smug tone.

"You realize that this is the thirty-sixth time you have tried to coax an emotional response from me? And need I remind you that all thirty-five times before now you were unsuccessful?" Spock asked, pretending to be very interested in making sure his shoe was tied so that he wouldn't have to look at them.

"We are aware of that, but today we are confident that we will succeed."

Spock sighed. "If you insist. What do you have for me today?"

"You are some kind of pathetic half-breed, Spock. An unnatural cross between Vulcan and human. You do not belong anywhere, not on earth, and most certainly not on Vulcan. The only being who cares for you is that whore mother of yours. Your father was a fool and a traitor for bringing her to this planet. She should just go back to where she came from and she should take her mutant offspring with her!"

Spock couldn't take them insulting his mother any longer. With a cry, he leapt up and attacked the one who had been speaking. Spock punched him and kicked him, knocking the elder boy to the ground. The rage clear on his face, Spock continued to punch him. Over and over and over again.

The boy fought back, landing some good hits on Spock's face. But Spock wouldn't give up. He didn't care what they said about him. No one could talk that way about his mother and live to speak of it. They didn't see—they didn't understand—how kind she was, and how loving she was, and how she tried to hide her loneliness and homesickness from her family. How dare they speak of her that way?

Spock shoved the boy into an empty compartment and pounced down on him, jabbing him at the base of his neck to knock him unconscious. The Vulcan nerve pinch. A very effective way to defeat bothersome opponents.

Spock was stopped from his reign of terror at that point by a school official. Hanging his head, he was led to the principal's office. He knew his outburst, although justified, was wrong. He should not have shown such emotion. Especially considering that his response meant his tormentors had succeeded in their ultimate goal. It was a very illogical move on his part.

The principal came out of her office and regarded Spock coolly. "Sit," she commanded, gesturing to a bench in the hall. "We have notified your father of your _emotional_ behavior." She said the word "emotional" like it was an insult. "He is on his way." With that, the principal retreated into her office and closed the door behind her.

Spock didn't even glance up at his father as he walked by, glaring at his son disapprovingly. His father entered the office and spoke with the principal for a while. Eventually, he came out and sat on the bench beside Spock.

"Why did you think that you had to attack your fellow student?" Sarek asked.

Spock looked away. "He was saying unkind things about mother." There was a long and awkward pause before Spock suddenly asked, "Why did you even marry her?"

Sarek sighed. "Spock, I am the Vulcan ambassador to Earth. Because of this, I needed to have a better understanding of humans and their peculiarities. Thus, it was only logical that I marry your mother. Do you understand, Spock?"

Spock nodded. "Yes, I suppose so."

Sarek took Spock home, giving his son a stern look as they entered the house. "You must explain this to your mother. She does not know what has happened."

Amanda heard footsteps in the hall, and she knew her beloved son was home. She put down the book she was reading, and poked her head out the door. "Spock? Is that you?" She saw her husband and her bloodied son standing in the hall. "Sarek? What are you doing home? Spock, what happened to you?!" She looked questioningly at Sarek. "What is going on?"

"I will let him explain," Sarek said, giving Spock a nudge forward. "I will see you both later. I must return to work." Sarek turned and left the house. Spock just stood motionless in the hall, staring at the floor.

Amanda couldn't take it any longer. She went to her son, knelt down beside him, and enveloped him in her arms. With one hand, he patted her back stiffly.

"Sweetheart, what happened?" she asked.

"I got into a fight at school today," he said, staring straight ahead. He wouldn't make eye contact with her.

"Are you okay?" she asked, her voice full of concern. She held him at arms' length and examined him closely.

"I am fine, mother," he said, shifting to escape her grasp.

She smiled warmly at him. "Let's get you cleaned up, okay?" Taking Spock into the kitchen, she dampened a rag and wiped his face free of the green blood. "There," she said after a while. "That's better, isn't it?"

Spock ignored her question. "Do you want to know what the fight was about?"

She shrugged. "Whatever it was, I'm sure the bully deserved it," she said with a grin. "Do you want to tell me about it, though?" she asked hopefully. Spock rarely spoke to her of his experiences at school unless he was telling about what he had learned, and she did not understand very much of that.

Amanda had figured out by now that her son didn't have any friends. She couldn't help but feel that it was her fault somehow. Because her son wasn't fully Vulcan…

Spock took a deep breath. "For the last thirty-six days, including today, a group of three teenaged boys have been saying unkind things to me in the attempt to derive some kind of emotional response from me. They were unsuccessful, except for today. Today they expressed extreme displeasure with you in a very distasteful and rude way. I do not care that they say unkind things about me, but I do not like it when they say unkind things about you."

Amanda's eyes filled with tears. Spock took a step back, looking rather horrified. She rarely ever cried, especially in front of him. "Oh, Spock." She embraced him tightly. "I am so sorry."

"Why are you apologizing to me?" he asked, squirming uncomfortable. He leaned as far away from her as possible.

"Because I can't help but feel like it is my fault that those horrid children were making fun of you. I'm sorry."

Spock stopped trying to fight against her. He hugged her cautiously, as if he was afraid she'd break. "You do not need to be sorry, mother. There is nothing for you to be sorry for." After a moment, he said, "I only wish I wasn't so temperamental. I just got so…angry at them. I couldn't control it."

Amanda released her son and smiled at him, stroking his hair and looking into his troubled eyes. "Don't try to."

Spock sat in the kitchen after school one day, watching his mother busy herself with the chores. He had been deeply troubled lately, especially after having that conversation with his father outside of the principal's office.

"Mother?" he asked, breaking the silence. "May I ask you a personal question?"

She looked mildly shocked, but she replied, "Of course you may, Spock."

He paused before inquiring quietly, "Do you love father?"

His mother smiled to herself, drying a bowl with a dish towel. "Yes, Spock. I love him very much."

"Do you think he loves you?"

She hesitated before answering, "I…I'm not sure, to be honest with you. I think he does, in his own special way."

This answer puzzled Spock greatly. Human emotions were so complex and unpredictable. They seemed very different from his own understanding of the world. "I don't understand this," he told her.

"Someday you will, hopefully," she replied.

He hopped off the chair he was sitting on and trailed behind his mother as she went about her business. "Are you…happy here?" he asked her after a while.

"I'm very happy on Vulcan, sweetheart," she said with a grin, ruffling his hair. Spock hated when she did that.

He smoothed his hair back into place. "Do you think that you would be happier if you were still on Earth and you were married to a human male whom you were certain felt love for you?"

"No, I wouldn't be," she answered immediately. "I consider myself very fortunate to be married to your father and to have a son like you."

Spock regarded her blankly. "You consider yourself fortunate to have a…a half breed son like me?"

Amanda dropped the glass she was washing on the floor. It shattered into a thousand tiny shards, scattering all across the tile. "What did you just call yourself?"

"A half breed."

She steered him away from the broken glass and knelt down so she could look him in the eyes. Putting her hands on his shoulders, she said seriously, "I don't ever want to hear that term in this house again. It's distasteful and uncivilized. I love you, Spock, and I love your father. I wouldn't trade either of you for anything. Do you understand?"

"I do not."

She sighed. "Oh, Spock…"

Amanda looked up and saw Sarek standing in the doorway, looking intrigued. "Sarek," she said, surprised. "I didn't hear you come in."

He inclined his head in her direction. "I needed to retrieve something from my office for work." Before he could say anything else, Spock hurried from the room. Sarek raised his eyebrow at his son, and then abruptly left.

Amanda sighed and began to sweep up the broken glass. As she was dumping it in the garbage, she felt someone lightly brush her on the shoulder. She turned around and smiled like she always did when she saw her husband. "Sarek."

"I just thought that I would inform you that I must work late tonight, so I will not be home at the time I usually am," he said, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

Her grin disappeared. She despised it when Sarek worked late.

He gave her a curious expression before saying, "I'm sorry."

She gave him a tentative smile and said, "You don't have to apologize, Sarek. There's nothing you can do about it."

"Still," he said. "I do not like to see you disappointed." A fleeting look of tenderness passed over his features. He kissed her gently, as is human custom. Another rarity. Without saying a word, he left to return to work.

Later that night, Amanda was sitting in a chair on their patio, listening to the sounds of the Vulcan night and watching the stars come out, one by one. She heard the door slide open behind her. Looking over her shoulder, she saw that Sarek was home. "Hello," she said, smiling.

"Hello. Where is Spock?" he asked, sitting down in the chair beside her.

"He's in bed already," she replied. "It's late, after all." She paused, and then asked, "How much of the conversation I had with Spock earlier did you hear?"

"I came in when he asked if you considered yourself fortunate to have a half breed for a son," Sarek said, arching an eyebrow. "I am curious to know the circumstances leading up to this question."

She sighed, and stared up at the sky. The heat pressed down on her, even at this hour. "Spock is having some issues with his identity right now, I think. He was asking me about love."

"Love? He is eight years old."

Amanda chuckled softly. "Not like that. He was asking whether I loved you, and if you loved me, and if I was happy here, and would I be happier on Earth with a different husband."

Sarek said nothing.

"And now, I have a question for you, Sarek." She leaned in closer to him. "Do you love me?"

After a long pause, he said, "Yes."

She shook her head slightly. It was the best she was going to get out of him.

"Now I have a question for you, Amanda. How did you answer the questions Spock asked you? Are you truly happy here?"

She nodded. "I love it here. I love Vulcan, I love our son, and I love you. No human man can compare to a Vulcan one." She winked at him.

"Do you have something in your eye?"

Suppressing a laugh, she said, "No, I'm fine."

He appeared satisfied with her answers. "And what of Spock? Are his questions of identity laid to rest?"

"I don't think he will ever stop questioning who he really is. But I know what he wants to be."

"And that is?"

"He wants to be a Vulcan."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Two**

Ten years later, Spock was now eighteen, an adult. He had grown to be very tall, a little over six feet. Today was a pivotal day in Spock's life. Today was the day that he found out if he had gotten accepted into the Vulcan Science Academy, the most prestigious organization on the planet.

Spock met his mother in the hall on the way out the door. She wasn't going to come to the ceremony with him and his father. It was unwise to advertise the fact that his mother was a human at this stage in the process. Few Vulcans accepted it, and it could hurt his chances. He hoped she understood that.

Amanda straightened his shirt and combed her fingers through his hair, trying to make sure it was just right, even though it was already flawless. "Today is the big day," she said, glancing up at him.

He nodded. "It is. May I ask you a personal question, mother?"

"You may."

"You would not take it as a personal insult if I decide to take up the Vulcan practice of _kolinahr_ while in school?" he asked, his eyes bright. By undertaking this process, he would finally prove to everyone that he really was a Vulcan. He would erase every last shred of emotion that hid beneath his skin.

"Of course not, sweetheart," she told him, brushing her fingers against his face. Though her words supported him, he could see the pain he had caused her plain on her features. "I will be proud of you no matter what you decide to do." She gave him a fierce hug. "Good luck, Spock."

Spock stood in front of the council in a vast marble chamber, his father standing beside him. They were waiting for the verdict. The council members were seated above them on a raised marble platform. They were currently reviewing his file.

Spock licked his lips and shifted his weight anxiously. He wanted this so desperately. If he got accepted into this school, it would change his life. He would have one of the best educations in science in the universe. And it would show everyone how empirical, how logical, how objective he really was.

The dean of the school put down the file and looked down at Spock with a piercing gaze. "You have surpassed all our expectations. Your final record is flawless. However, I do have one question. I see from your file that you have applied to the Starfleet Academy as well."

"It was logical to cultivate multiple options," Spock answered. In reality, he had applied to Starfleet Academy because he had hypothesized that it was illogical to expect to be accepted by the Vulcan Science Academy. His record as half human preceded him everywhere he went.

"Logical maybe, but ultimately unnecessary. You are hereby accepted into the Vulcan Science Academy. It is truly amazing that you have achieved so much, despite your…disadvantage." She stood, the other council members following her example. "You are hereby accepted into the Vulcan Science Academy."

Spock was struggling to contain his shock and disgust. Disadvantage? What disadvantage? Could she mean…his mother? The very idea of it began to make Spock angry. He was compelled to say something. "If you would please clarify…to what disadvantage are you referring?" he asked, keeping his voice completely level.

The minister looked surprised. "Why, your human mother, of course."

His hands curled into fists. "I must decline," he said immediately, his eyes flashing.

"No Vulcan has ever declined admission to this academy!" the dean said, staring at Spock. The other council members began to murmur amongst themselves, eyeing Spock and his father.

"Then, as I am half human, your perfect record still remains," Spock snapped. He turned to leave, but his father grabbed him by the shoulder.

"You made a commitment to honor the Vulcan way and ignore the other half of your heritage," he said in a low voice, so that only Spock could hear.

Before Spock could reply to his father, the dean asked, "Why did you come before this council today? Was it to satisfy your emotional need to rebel?"

Spock turned to face her, taking a deep breath. He kept his fists clenched so that they wouldn't see his hands trembling. "The only emotion I wish to express to you today is gratitude. Thank you very much for your consideration." His eyebrows twitched slightly. "Live long and prosper," he said, turning and sweeping out of the room.

He walked into the house, resisting the urge to slam the door behind him. He took a deep breath. _I am in control of my emotions_. That's what he always told himself when he started to feel like he was drowning. And it usually helped bring him back under control. But not today.

"Spock, is that you? How did it go?" his mother asked, coming into the hall.

Spock turned around, startled at her sudden appearance. He must not have been able to mask his emotion quickly enough, because she hurried over to him and took his face in her hands. "Oh, sweetheart," she said. "What happened?"

Spock hesitated. "I…I was not accepted into the academy. They said that my abilities are better suited elsewhere." He could not tell her the truth, that he had declined admission to school because they didn't respect her. And not only did they not respect her, they did not respect him. They would never see him as an intellectual equal; they would always see him as someone who overcame a disability, and Spock could not accept that.

She embraced him. "I'm so sorry. I know how much you wanted this."

He pulled away from her, raising an eyebrow. "Who knows? Maybe I really am better suited for the Starfleet Academy. Joining the Federation cannot be too terrible."

"They'll be lucky to have you," his mother said.

Spock nodded, accepting her reassuring praise with poise. "If you'll excuse me, mother," he said, turning and leaving the hall.

Amanda sighed. Why couldn't they give him a chance? Just for once? He'd been an almost perfect Vulcan his entire life, rarely showing any emotion at all. But it was the possibility that he might that turned everybody away from him. Vulcans thought him to be too emotional, and humans would think him to be too emotionless. He was a child of two worlds, and he didn't belong in either of them.

Later that night, Amanda was sitting on the patio again. Sarek came out and joined her. They sat in silence for a long while before Sarek said, "It is a shame what happened to Spock at the academy this afternoon."

"I know!" Amanda burst, releasing the emotions that had been building up inside of her all day. It surprised her husband; he raised his eyebrows and inched away from her. "Those horrible, foolish people! How can they not see that he is brilliant? They won't even give him a chance. I can't believe he didn't get admitted! What is wrong with them?"

Sarek gave her an intrigued look. "Is that what Spock told you happened? That he didn't get admitted?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Yes. Why? Is that not what happened?"

"No, as a matter of fact, it is not what happened," he said. "Spock and I arrived at the council and he was informed that he had been accepted. When the council members rose to honor him, the dean made a passing remark of how astonished she was that he had overcome his disadvantage so spectacularly. When he inquired as to what disadvantage she meant, she replied that it was his human mother. Spock immediately declined admission to the school, and when the dean commented that no Vulcan had ever declined admission before, he replied that he was half human, so their record remained unblemished. That, Amanda, is what really happened."

Amanda had tears in her eyes. She stood up and rushed from the patio, leaving Sarek her husband in mild shock. "Spock!" she cried, hurrying through the halls. She wondered where he was.

He opened the door to his room, wearing nightclothes. His hair was tousled. Blinking in the light, he said, "Mother? Is there a problem?"

She hugged him tightly. "I love you so much," she told him. "So much. You know that, right?"

He allowed her to hug him and he replied, "Yes, I am well aware of it."

She smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "You are the best son in the universe."

"If you say so."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Can't you just once be yourself?"

He regarded her calmly. "No."

She sighed. "I didn't think so. But it doesn't hurt to ask." She hugged him again. "You are going to blow the instructors at Starfleet away."

"I am pleased that you are confident in me, mother," he replied. "But before I can impress the human teachers at Starfleet with my Vulcan knowledge, I must first get accepted. We must not count the chickens before they hatch. I believe that is a human expression that fits the situation, does it not?"

She smiled. "Yes, I suppose it fits the situation."

"Then I will see you in the morning," he told her, inclining his head in her direction. He retreated into the safety of his room, away from all the feelings.

The next day, Spock was doing some research to take his mind off things. It was quite fascinating, really. It would have been pleasurable, had he allowed himself to feel such emotions.

"Spock!" Amanda called, an edge of excitement in her voice.

Spock looked over his shoulder to find his mother standing in the doorway, grinning happily. He raised an eyebrow. "Yes, mother?"

"Guess what?" she asked.

He raised both of his eyebrows now. "No, I don't think I will." He turned back to his studies.

"Fine, be that way!" She paused. He kept scrolling. "You got a message from the Starfleet Academy…"

"What did they have to say?" he asked calmly, knowing that this kind of exchange frustrated her to no end. He knew that she hoped he would show some kind of reaction. But he wouldn't.

"You got accepted!" she shrieked, making him jump. She hurried over to Spock and gave him a hug. He stiffened up considerably, his heart still racing from her sudden outburst, but he allowed her to express her emotions.

He wriggled out of her grasp after what seemed to be the appropriate amount of time and said, "Thank you for informing me of this, mother. I appreciate it."

"You're welcome, Spock," she replied.

Spock packed his things later that night and made arrangements for transportation to Earth, so that he would get to the Academy in time for the first day of class. He had made it very clear to Starfleet that he wished to become a Science Officer, and they were more than enthusiastic about letting him do that. He was a Vulcan, after all.

Spock stood in the hangar where his ship was going to depart for Earth. His mother and his father were with him to see him off. His father regarded him unfathomably. Spock still wasn't sure what his father thought of his decision to attend Starfleet Academy over the Vulcan Science Academy. They had not spoken since that day.

His mother was trying to keep it together for Spock and his father's sake. He knew she didn't want to make a scene in public. But he knew how hard it would be for her. It could be years and years before she saw him again, if he got assigned to a starship after he graduated.

She hugged him and kissed him on each cheek. Spock allowed her to do this begrudgingly. "I'll miss you, sweetheart," she whispered to him as she embraced him. "I love you."

Spock, although he didn't reply to her, did do something rather uncharacteristic. He returned her hug. And it was a real hug, too; not a stiff, awkward half-hug kind of thing. It surprised and delighted his mother, which was his intent.

"Farewell, mother," he said, pulling away from her. He raised his hand in the Vulcan salute. "Live long and prosper."

She returned the gesture. "Live long and prosper," she replied. Then, so quickly that it might have not really happened, Spock leaned forward and kissed his mother on the cheek.

Spock turned to his father, who nodded in approval. "I am proud of you, my son," he said finally, laying his hand on Spock's shoulder.

"Thank you, father," Spock replied.

His raised his hand in the Vulcan sign. "Live long and prosper."

Spock reciprocated the expression. "Live long and prosper."

Spock turned to leave, but his father grabbed him by the shoulder. "Son," he said. "Do not forget who you are."

Spock nodded. "I will not." With that, he turned and boarded the ship that would carry him from his home and to his new life.

Spock arrived on Earth, collected his belongings, and left the ship. He was met with instantaneous chaos. The landing field his ship had docked in was a madhouse of people and machinery. Spock was slightly overwhelmed, but he knew that the campus was nearby, so it should be fairly easy to get to.

He was wrong. He didn't understand how to get transportation there, and no one bothered to explain this to him. He decided not to waste time trying to figure out how, so he just walked there.

Starfleet's campus was huge and aesthetically pleasing in its own way. It had spacious grounds with manicured grass, but at this moment, as the semester was starting, it was packed full of new and returning students.

Spock weaved his way through all the noisy people, and eventually found where he had to get in line to register. There were thousands of loud, chattering young adults all around him, laughing, yelling, fighting, joking around, and just generally having a good time. There were flagrant displays of emotion all around him, everywhere he looked, and coming from everyone he looked at. It created a strange mixture of disgust and fascination in Spock.

It was finally Spock's turn in line. "Name?" the registration official asked in a bored voice.

"Spock."

The woman glanced up at him. "Oh, great. A Vulcan. Just what we need. Spock what?"

The person's blatant dislike of Vulcans surprised Spock, but he didn't say anything. "Humans are typically not able to pronounce my last name unless they have practiced for an extensive amount of time."

"Well, here you go, Mr. Spock," the woman said, handing Spock an information packet. "This is your schedule and a map of the campus and some general information. You'll be staying in dorm A2. Your roommate will be another freshman cadet by the name of Kirk. Have a nice day. Oh, wait; you guys don't have nice days because you guys don't feel."

"Your politeness was noted, although I am beginning to wonder if it was really something else disguised as politeness," he replied, giving the woman a pointed look. Spock raised his hand in the Vulcan salute. "Live long and prosper."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Three**

Spock walked up to his dorm room. It was small and cramped. A bed nestled against each wall, a desk at the end of each bed. There was one closet beside the door. A window with no curtains was on the wall opposite the door, letting light flood in. It had a view of the quad, and all the raucous humans who congregated there. This would take some getting used to.

He unpacked his things and looked over his class schedule. When he was properly informed of how his life would proceed for the next semester, he put the information packet on the desk he claimed as his. He wondered in passing where his roommate was. Kirk, the woman had said.

At that moment, the door flew open and youngish-looking man swaggered in. He had blond hair and blue eyes, and a cocky smile on his face. He took one look at Spock and did a double take. "So you must be Spock, huh?" he asked, giving him a lopsided grin.

Spock nodded. "Yes. And you must Kirk."

He tossed his bags carelessly on the floor and extended his hand to Spock. "The name's James Tiberius Kirk, but you can just call me Jim," he said.

Spock raised an eyebrow. "I am honored to meet you, Jim," he said, shaking the man's hand.

Kirk flopped down in bed extravagantly. Spock stared at him. Kirk caught Spock's look and said, "You're not from around here, are you?"

"What gave me away?" Spock asked dryly.

Kirk laughed. "Where are you from?"

"Vulcan."

Kirk looked like he was trying not to laugh. "Oh, yeah. I've heard of Vulcan before. You guys are the ones that all have permanent sticks shoved up your asses, right?"

Spock's face grew hot. "Excuse me, but that is entirely inappropriate—"

Kirk held up his hands innocently. "Relax, it was just expression. It means, like…you guys are humorless. You don't have feelings or whatever."

"Does this amuse you?"

"Who am I to judge?" He laid back on the bed, arms behind his head.

Spock bristled. "My ancestors thought that it would be wise to get rid of the fetters of emotion. They deemed that it was only logical. Without emotion, there is no anger or greed or jealousy. Without anger, greed, and jealousy, there is no violence."

"Without emotions, there is no love, happiness, pleasure, or friendship. And without those things, life isn't really worth living, is it?" Kirk said.

Spock narrowed his eyes at Kirk. "Are you saying that my life isn't worth living?"

Kirk shrugged. "It's your life; to you it probably is. So," Kirk said. "What are you here for?"

"It is my desire that I become a Science Officer."

"I'm going to be the Captain of my own starship," Kirk said proudly.

Spock smiled faintly, and that meant that he found this to be very funny. Luckily, Kirk didn't know Spock very well yet; otherwise he would have been offended. "Good luck with that," Spock commented, sitting at his desk and turning on his computer.

Spock was enjoying his classes so far. At least, he was enjoying them as much as a Vulcan could really enjoy anything. His instructors were all very impressed with him, and he was passing his classes with flying colors.

The other students mostly avoided him because they were intimidated by his intelligence and his lack of emotion. They weren't sure how to communicate with him. So, as always, Spock didn't have any friends.

Spock never saw much of his roommate because they were taking completely different classes and because Kirk didn't come back to the room until very late at night, for some strange reason that Spock had not yet deduced.

Spock was lying in bed one night, books and notes spread out around him. He was putting the finishing touches on a chemical formula that was sure to get him top marks in class. He was almost done, and then he would go to bed.

The door burst open, a bedraggled Kirk coming in. He slammed the door closed behind him and flung himself into bed. He rubbed his face and groaned dramatically. Spock arched an eyebrow at his roommate. "What is the cause for that strange noise you are making?" Spock asked.

"Bad night," Kirk grunted. "Headache. Tired."

"Fascinating," Spock commented. "It appears that whatever you did tonight has taken away your ability to speak in complete sentences. Although I must say, that even before now, your aptitude in this area was sorely lacking."

"I think there was an insult wrapped up inside those big words somewhere," Kirk said with a sigh.

"Your presumption is correct," Spock replied. He completed his chemical formula and stacked his books and papers neatly on his desk. He gave Kirk a sidelong glance. "Do you mind if I ask a personal question?"

"Whatever," Kirk replied lazily.

"When do you do your homework?" he asked.

"Who says I do my homework?" Kirk replied with a devilish smile.

Spock looked at him, aghast. "And you want to be _Captain_ of a _starship_?"

Kirk shrugged. "I'll make it somehow. If I can pass the test, I'll be good. I think I've got what it takes to be a Captain, and I don't see why I have to drown myself in homework to prove that to Starfleet." He gave Spock a pointed look.

Spock ignored him.

The next day, Spock went to Xeno-linguistics class. Technically, he wasn't _required_ to take this class to make Science Officer, but it was recommended because most Science Officers should also be able to double as Communications Officers if the need called for it.

Today, the students were supposed to give speeches explaining the technical structure of any alien language of their choosing. Spock was not allowed to give his speech on the Vulcan cultural language because he was from Vulcan, just like every other alien in the class was not allowed to give their speech on their own language. Spock didn't understand why this rule applied to him, though; because the official language of Vulcan was English, and the cultural Vulcan language was very rarely used, except to describe Vulcan cultural practices, but the teachers didn't see it that way.

Spock gave his speech, and then he got to sit back and listen to everyone else's. Cadet Uhura was the last person to give a speech. She spoke on the Tamarian language, focusing primarily on the Tamarian myths. She spoke about many of them, and then she got to Darmok and Jalad, the most well-known out of all of them.

"And so, Darmok on the ocean means that Darmok was alone. Jalad on the ocean means that Jalad was alone. Both Darmok and Jalad were great Tamarian heroes. Tenagra on the ocean means that Tenagra was an island. Both Darmok and Jalad arrived at Tenagra and both of them fought some kind of creature that lived on the island. After this conflict was won, Darmok and Jalad left the island of Tenagra together.

"So, in the Tamarian language, Darmok on the ocean and Jalad on the ocean have both come to mean "alone". Tenagra on the ocean has come to be the Tamarian word for islands in general. The beast of Tenagra has come to signify a challenge that must be overcome and Darmok and Jalad at Tenagra means "cooperation".

"Tamarians construct their language using metaphors from their mythology in place of words and phrases. It would be like saying "Juliet on the balcony" instead of saying "love". Now, you and I all know who Juliet is, and so this makes sense to us. But to someone who didn't know who Juliet was, like that guy over there," she said, pointing to Spock. The rest of the class snickered. "This would be gibberish to them, and so that is why we have encountered so many problems in translating the Tamarian language."

The bell rang then, and so class was dismissed. Spock had been very intrigued by Cadet Uhura's speech. She was very knowledgeable and had definitely researched her subject matter well, and had presented the information intelligently, unlike most of the other students in class. Spock respected her for this.

Spock later saw Cadet Uhura on the grounds, sitting at a picnic table and doing homework. She was tall, just a little shorter than Spock himself. She had dark skin and long, black hair that was pulled back in a ponytail. She wore a lot of mascara to accentuate her warm, chocolate-colored eyes.

"Cadet Uhura," Spock greeted.

She looked up, startled, and then she smiled brightly at him. "Hello!"

"I don't believe we have been formally introduced yet. My name is Spock. I am in your Xeno-linguistics class," he said, extending his hand to her. "I'm sure you knew that already because you mentioned me in your speech. I know who Juliet was, by the way."

She shook his hand. "I'm Nyota Uhura," she replied, still smiling at him.

"I know," he replied. "I wanted to inform you that I found your speech on the syntax of the Tamarian language fascinating."

She blinked. "Thanks. I liked your speech on Romulan. I'm fluent in all three dialects of Romulan, and I thought you explained its structure really well."

"Romulans and Vulcans share a common ancestry; I thought it was only logical if I did my project on Romulan," he replied with a shrug.

"So, correct me if I'm wrong, but you want to be a Science Officer, yes?" she asked.

He nodded, casually putting his hands behind his back. "Yes, that is my goal. And I presume that you are intent on becoming a Communications Officer?"

She laughed. "How did you guess?"

He raised an eyebrow. "It was the logical conclusion."

"I was just kidding, Spock," she said. "You need to loosen up a little." She patted the spot on the bench beside her. "Come on; sit down."

He shook his head. "I apologize, but I must decline. I have a lot of things that must be completed. Goodbye."

She raised her hand in the Vulcan sign. "Live long and prosper," she said, her eyes shining.

Spock did a double take. "Where did you learn that?" he asked.

She shrugged. "In Xenology, we had a class on Vulcan because they are one of earth's greatest allies. That _is_ the way people say goodbye to each other on your planet, isn't it?"

"Yes, I just…I just didn't expect anyone here to know that," he said, still slightly in shock. He hadn't experienced anything remotely Vulcan since his arrival on earth.

"You must be terribly homesick," she remarked. "It must be hard for you, being here with all of us."

"I am not familiar with this phrase of which you speak, but it is rather difficult getting used to the way things are done and the way people behave here. I thought I had a reasonable understanding of human behavior because of my mother, but I do not," he explained.

"You don't know what it means to be homesick?" she asked curiously. "You don't know what it's like to miss the place you grew up at and to miss the people you left behind, your friends and family?"

He blinked. "I have no emotions, Cadet Uhura," he replied thickly. In reality, he longed for his home. He had quickly grown tired and impatient of earth and its inhabitants. He missed his mother and father, but mostly his mother.

"I don't think so," she replied lightly. "The look on your face tells me that you do. What did you mean that you thought you understood humans because of your mother?"

"My mother was a human. My father was a Vulcan. He is an ambassador to earth. He met her and married her on one of his trips here. She returned to Vulcan to be with him. She is ostracized by my people, and my father is viewed as a traitor for his lapse of judgment."

Uhura raised her eyebrows. "You think that your father's decision to marry your mother is a _lapse of judgment_?"

"I do not," he said quickly. "Please believe that I do not. I was merely reiterating what my people think of them, and of me."

"What do they think of you?" she inquired.

"I have said too much already," he said. "Live long and prosper," he said, before turning and hurrying away.

Uhura jumped up and jogged after him. "Spock, wait!" she called. He ignored her and continued walking towards the dorms. "Wait!" she called again. She finally caught up with him and grabbed him by the shoulder.

He stared at her impassively. "Yes?"

"Look," she said. "I know it must be hard for you here, and that the humans probably don't make it any easier on you. If you ever want to talk, just swing by my dorm. I'm in G17."

"You speak of the humans as if you weren't one," Spock remarked. Uhura ignored his comment. "Goodbye, Cadet Uhura." He turned and walked away.

School began to lose its luster for Spock. He was no longer allowed to answer questions in any of his classes so the other students could have a chance to answer, for a change. He was not allowed to participate in any of the extra-credit projects the classes did. It's not like he needed extra-credit, but it was rather humiliating to have all your teachers forbid you from doing them in front of the whole class. He was also often assigned extra homework in an attempt to make school more challenging to him. He didn't mind the extra work, but it all boiled down to one thing again. He was being treated as if he was different than everybody else.

To make matters worse, the other students mocked him constantly, for a plethora of different reasons. His emotionless-ness, for one thing. His intelligence, for another. The fact that he had no friends. The fact that he was completely ignorant of human popular culture. And the fact that the teachers treated him differently. Kirk was the closest thing he had to a friend, and that was pretty pathetic.

Spock was walking down the hall to his next class. The hall was crowded and he accidentally bumped into another guy. The guy and his friends took one look at Spock and started laughing. Spock ignored them. "I am in control of my emotions," he muttered under his breath, beginning to clench his fists. "I am in control of my emotions."

The teacher was handing back math tests today. The teacher handed Spock back his test and gave him a disapproving frown before moving on. Spock hurriedly turned it over to find a fat, red F glaring back at him. Spock's eyes widened. How could this be? This was simply…illogical!

The moment class was over, Spock made a beeline for his teacher. "If I may," he said, trying to sound patient. "I do not understand why I received the grade I did on this test. I answered all the questions correctly."

"You did," the teacher replied evenly.

"You must forgive me, but the complexities of human pranks escape me," he replied, folding his arms over his chest.

The teacher sighed. "It's not a prank. You got an F because you didn't show your work."

Spock stared at him incredulously. "I didn't…show my work? I didn't need to. There was no work to be done."

"Yes, there was," the teacher replied slowly, as if Spock was an idiot. "They're very complex equations. I made it clear that you had to show the work you did."

"I didn't need to write it down; I can do the equations in my head," Spock explained.

"That's impossible!" the teacher snapped. "Either you didn't show your work because you were careless, or you cheated."

"Both of those things would be illogical, and I thought I have made it clear that I do not do illogical things," Spock argued.

"What you're saying is impossible. I can't even do those types of equations in my head, for goodness' sake!" the teacher exclaimed.

"So, you gave me an F on the test because I am smarter than you are?" Spock said slowly.

"Get out of my classroom _right now_," the teacher said firmly.

"I do not understand," Spock muttered as he was shooed from the classroom. This was the first grade that wasn't an A+ that he'd ever received in his life. He dropped his things off in his room and decided that he would take Uhura up on her offer for a talk.

Spock walked up to Uhura's dorm. He wandered the halls of the building until he found the door marked G17. There was a tie hanging from the door. Spock stared at it curiously. What kind of strange human custom was this?

He knocked on the door. Nobody answered. He knocked on the door again. Nobody answered again. He knocked louder. And still, nobody answered. He decided to knock one more time, and if no one answered him, then he would leave. He knocked, and an extremely annoyed female voice replied, "GO AWAY!"

Bewildered, Spock said, "I'm looking for Cadet Uhura. Is she there?"

"No, now leave us alone!" the female voice yelled.

Confused at this turn of events, Spock turned to go. Uhura was coming down the hall towards him! "Spock?" she asked, pleasantly surprised.

"Cadet Uhura," he replied, strangely relieved to see her. "I came to find you, and your roommate said that you were gone, and she told me to go away."

"She told you to go away? That's rude of her," Uhura remarked. She looked around Spock and saw the tie on her door. She reddened.

Spock followed her gaze and then asked, "What does the tie on the door mean? Is it a human tradition?"

"Uh, I guess you could say that," she replied evasively. "You're roommates with James, right?"

"Cadet Kirk? Yes, he is my roommate," Spock replied.

"You should ask him what it means," Uhura said. "Anyway, how are you?"

"I am well, I suppose," he mused. "Human behavior is puzzling me greatly as of late."

"How so?" she asked. Spock then proceeded to explain the conversation he had with his math teacher that afternoon.

"I believe you," she said.

"You do?" Spock asked, raising an eyebrow.

She nodded. "I do. Ask if you can retake the test. If he lets you, just write out the equations this time."

"I shall do this," Spock said. "The teachers are not as troubling as the students, though. I thought that since I was not like the other Vulcans, then I must be like the other humans. It is only logical. But I am not like humans at all. It seems that I do not fit anywhere in this universe. I am as conflicted now as I once was when I was a child."

Uhura took his hand, much to his surprise. She smiled at him. "Look," she said. "You may not be like the other humans or the other Vulcans, but that doesn't matter. You are you. Once you figure that out, you'll be a lot happier." Spock gave her a curious look, so she rephrased her statement. "Okay, maybe not _happier_, but at least not conflicted."

"If you say so," Spock replied dubiously. He was still completely focused on the fact that Uhura was holding his hand. He wriggled out of her grasp and flexed his fingers experimentally. If she was offended, she gave no sign.

"So, you're half human, right?" she asked.

He gave her a look. "I thought that I had made that fact clear already."

She reddened. "Well, yes, but I just said that so that what I'm about to say won't sound as random, you know?"

"No, I don't know," he replied.

"Well, anyway," she said hurriedly. "Have you ever…you know, _done_ anything human before?"

"I do not understand what you mean," Spock replied, his eyebrows furrowing.

"Well, I don't really know how to describe it," she said. "Like, have you ever gone out to eat, or been to the ballpark, or played a board game or…or, I don't know."

"I have not done any of those things," he replied, looking confused. "As far as I know, I haven't done anything _human_, as you call it."

"But you're half human," she argued. "If you've only ever done Vulcan things, you're ignoring part of yourself. Here, I have an idea. Why don't I take you out for a night on the town?"

He looked bewildered. "I am not familiar with this earth expression. What do you desire to do to me?"

"I'm going to take you out. We can grab dinner and maybe have a drink and then we can take a bus down to the stadium and we can watch a baseball game. Baseball is a human pastime, a staple of earth culture."

"I must decline your offer," he said politely.

She shook her head. "No, you don't get to decline my offer. You're coming with me whether you like it or not. You need to get out, Spock. Have some fun, loosen up. I'll pick you up tonight at six. You'd better go get ready." She gave him a bright smile.

Spock stood in front of the mirror, making sure his bangs were straight. He wasn't sure what Uhura meant when she told him to get ready. He wondered if there was some kind of ceremonial clothes he needed to wear if he were to participate in the human ritual.

Kirk entered the room and started at Spock. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm preparing myself to engage in a human recreational ceremony that a female member of your species invited me to," Spock replied.

Kirk winked. "I've got you. You're not wearing _that_, are you?" he asked, motioning to Spock's Vulcan clothing.

"These are the only casual clothes I brought with me," he replied defensively.

"You can't meet a lady dressed like that," Kirk argued. "Here, borrow some of my clothes." Kirk started rummaging through his closet. He grabbed a pair of dark-wash jeans, a pinstriped dress shirt, and a pair of tennis shoes. "Put these on," Kirk instructed.

Spock obliged begrudgingly. "I am not comfortable wearing your clothes," he said awkwardly.

"Get used to it," Kirk replied callously. He changed the subject. "So, who are you going out with?"

"Cadet Nyota Uhura from my Xeno-linguistics class."

Kirk's eyebrows flew up and he let out a low whistle. "Nyota," he breathed. "Player."

Spock didn't know what Kirk meant, and he didn't really want to know. But there _was_ one thing he desired to learn. "May I ask you a question about human culture?"

"Sure," he replied. "Shoot."

"What does a tie hanging from a door mean?" he inquired.

Kirk's eyes bulged and he bit his lip to keep from laughing. "Well…why do you want to know?"

"I saw one today, and I was curious," Spock said, fiddling with his shirt collar.

"Uh…" Kirk thought of how to explain it to Spock. "Would you believe me if I told you that there are just some parts of human behavior that you don't want to know about?"

"Yes, I would believe that."

"This is one of those things. So, Spock. _Uhura_? You're reeling in quite a big fish, my friend. Here, try this." He held up a bottle. "This is cologne. It makes you smell good."

Spock automatically assumed he meant that it would make him smell good to humans in general, in a friendly way. It never crossed his mind that it was just to smell attractive to women. Spock took the bottle and examined it. "I believe I understand how this works. It simulates certain pheromones to make me more pleasing to humans. Is that correct?"

"I guess," Kirk said with a shrug. "Rub some on your neck and cheeks."

Spock did as he was told, and he blanched. He actually looked nauseous. "This smells repugnant," he gasped, his eyes watering.

"When are you meeting her?" Kirk asked.

"We agreed to meet on the steps at six," Spock said, wrinkling his nose from the smell. He really was disgusted.

Kirk gave him a hearty slap on the back. "You'd better get going, tiger," he said with a laugh.

Spock raised an eyebrow. "Indeed." He briefly contemplated not showing up for his arranged meeting with Uhura, but he decided that would be rude, and she had been very kind to him so far. And so, Spock trudged from the dorm and to his impending doom.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Four**

When Spock got to the steps in front of the main building, Uhura was already there, waiting for him. She was wearing a tank top with floral patterns and white shorts. Spock blinked. It was quite a change from her red cadet uniform. Then again, he presumed that he probably looked very different to her as well.

"Spock!" she exclaimed, grinning. There she went with her emotions again. Spock would never get used to this.

"Cadet Uhura," he said politely.

She rolled her eyes. "Call me Nyota."

"I'd rather call you Cadet Uhura," he replied.

"But _I'd_ rather you call me Nyota," she insisted with a smile.

"Very well, Nyota," he sighed.

She approached him and held him at arms' length. "Where'd you get these? They look familiar," she mused.

"Cadet Kirk lent them to me," he replied stonily, even though he was kind of embarrassed.

"You look good," she commented.

"Thank you for your compliment," he said.

She got a curious look on her face and she leaned in very close to him and took a deep breath through her nose. She glanced up at him. He was staring at her in shock. He considered this a violation of his personal bubble. "You smell good," she whispered. "You put on cologne, didn't you?"

"Kirk said I should," he whispered back.

She backed away suddenly and took his hand against his will. She led him down the steps. "I know this great little restaurant we can go to; it's just down the block," she explained, leading him off campus and down the street. "From there we can catch a bus to the game."

"A bus," he said, finally hearing something familiar. "We have buses on our planet."

She gave him a weird look. "Good for you," she said, mostly because she didn't know what else to say.

She took him to this hole-in-the-wall Italian bistro down the street. It was small and quaint, and it fascinated Spock. They were led to a table, and a waiter asked, "Would you like some wine with your meal, or perhaps some champagne?" He winked at Spock after glancing surreptitiously at Uhura.

"I don't drink," Spock said bluntly. "I'll take water, if you have it."

"Of course we have water," the waiter replied, slightly stunned.

"I didn't know," Spock said.

"I'll just take water, too," Uhura said, slightly bewildered. The waiter brought them their waters and then Uhura asked, "So, you don't drink?"

Spock took a sip of water. "There is no point. My father's race was denied the dubious benefits of alcohol."

"So…," Uhura said slowly. "Vulcans can't get drunk?"

"I wouldn't put it quite those terms, but yes; Vulcans cannot become inebriated," Spock explained. He picked up his menu. "I have never consumed this type of cuisine before. I do not even know what most of this food is. What's good?" he asked.

Uhura shrugged and looked at the menu. "I love everything here," she replied.

"That does not help me very much," he answered.

"Try something new; be adventurous. Tonight you're a human," she said grandly.

He stared at her blankly. "No."

"No, what?"

"No to everything you just said," he said, his tone as blank as his face.

Uhura started giggling. She giggled so much that she snorted water out of her nose. "Oh!" she exclaimed. Then she glanced up at Spock and started cracking up. He was staring at her expressionlessly. He had never quite observed anything like that before. "You must excuse me," she said.

"It is fine. I wonder, does this happen often to humans?" he asked, intrigued.

"Yes. Yes, it does," she said seriously.

The waiter appeared beside them. "May I take your order?" he asked.

"I'll take spaghetti with marinara sauce and hot Italian sausage," Uhura said immediately, handing him the menu.

"And for you, sir?" he asked, turning to Spock.

Spock stared at him for a moment before saying, "I will also take this meal that my companion requested."

"Two spaghettis with marinara sauce and hot Italian sausage, coming right up," he said pleasantly. He left. He returned a few moments later with their food.

Spock appraised the plate of food inquisitively. He picked up his fork and nudged some noodles with it. He glanced up at Uhura, who was watching him with an amused smile. "Forgive me for my ignorance, but how do I go about eating this?"

"Like this," she said. She took her fork and speared a bite of sausage before twirling some noodles around her fork underneath the sausage. Then she ate it.

Spock decided to try. He did as Uhura did. He lifted the fork to his mouth and hesitantly ate the food. He started chewing and then abruptly stopped. He sat there for a long moment, his eyes growing glassy. He began to chew very, very slowly, as if each bite pained him. Then, without warning, he grabbed his napkin and spat the bite into it without trying to draw any attention to himself.

He balled the napkin up and put it next to his plate. He gazed at his food with disgust. "What's wrong?" Uhura asked. "Don't you like it?"

Spock hesitated for a moment before saying, "Would you prefer that I was honest with you, or would you like it if I told a lie so that I would avoid hurting your…feelings?"

"I want you to be honest with me," she said instantly.

"I hate it. It is the most vile, putrid, disgusting thing I have ever put in my mouth."

Uhura looked sad. "I'm sorry you don't like it. I'll remember that for next time."

"Next time?" Spock asked incredulously.

Uhura reddened and stared at the table, absentmindedly swirling some noodles on her fork. "If there is a next time," she whispered.

They finished eating, or at least, Uhura did. She paid the waiter and then they left. They were just in time for the bus. They boarded it, and Spock was in for another nasty shock.

The bus was hot and smelly and crowded with loud people. It was nothing like buses on Vulcan. It repulsed him.

Spock and Uhura sat down behind a guy with a bright pink Mohawk, multiple piercings all over his face, and Goth-style clothes. He had a big, portable stereo. Spock stared at this human in utter amazement.

He nudged Uhura. "What has happened to this man to make him this way?"

Uhura looked appalled. "Spock, that's rude! That guy just has his own sense of…style. It may be weird, but we can't judge based on appearances."

"I am deeply sorry. I did not know. I am still a stranger to human behavior and customs," he whispered, sounding truly sorry.

She sighed. "I know." But then she brightened. "But, I'm sure you'll just love baseball. I can't wait for you to get to see it."

Spock nodded, still distracted by the punk sitting in front of him. The guy suddenly turned on the stereo to some kind of horrible, screechy music. It didn't help at all that this music was blaringly loud.

Spock tolerated it for about three minutes before he couldn't take it any longer. He thought his brain might shut down or something if he had to listen to much more. He reached over and tapped the guy on the shoulder. He turned around and sneered at Spock. "Excuse me," Spock asked. "I apologize for bothering you, but will you please turn that…that _music_ down?"

The guy said something to Spock that Spock didn't understand, but he guessed that it was a severe human insult because Uhura gasped and turned bright red. The punk turned around and jacked the volume up even higher than it already was.

Spock sighed and jabbed the guy in the side of the neck. The guy slumped forward, unconscious. Spock reached over and turned his stereo off. After a moment of stunned silence, the whole bus erupted in thunderous applause. The Vulcan nerve pinch always came in handy.

Uhura and Spock got off at the stadium and Uhura bought tickets. She took Spock inside and they found their seats. Spock looked around with mild interest, but mostly in disgust.

It was hot and the people were sweaty and loud. There was garbage and food on the ground from where people had carelessly thrown it away or spilled, and the whole place was just dirty and gross.

"I do not understand how this sport is played," Spock said to Uhura after a while. He had been watching the game avidly, trying to figure out its rules and trying to figure out why everyone kept shouting at the umpire.

"Let me explain it to you," Uhura said to him. She proceeded to describe the rules of baseball in great detail. It took a long time. Spock listened attentively, nodding at the appropriate moments.

"Thank you, Cadet…Nyota," he said lamely. "I understand the principles behind this sport now. Are you a fan of this sport?" he asked. He figured that she was from her detailed knowledge of it.

"Yeah," she said wistfully. "I stink at playing it, though. I'm just a spectator."

"We don't have sports on Vulcan," Spock said casually.

"You don't?" she asked incredulously.

"Not unless you count debate teams and academic trivia teams as sports. We have stadiums and crowds of this size to facilitate and observe those," Spock explained.

"Huh," she said.

Then it was the seventh inning stretch. "What does this mean, the seventh inning stretch?" Spock asked.

"It's just a chance to take a break, for the players and the crowd," Uhura explained. "Do you want a drink? I'll go get us some," she said before he could answer.

She returned a few moments later with two lidded paper cups. Spock stared at it in fascination. "Here," she said, handing it to him.

He took a sip and practically choked. He wiped his mouth on the back of his hand and started coughing. "Are you okay?" Uhura asked in alarm.

"Yes," he managed to say. He gradually stopped coughing and then he glanced at her. "This liquid is carbonated. I did not expect that."

"You've never had soda before?" she asked.

"No. But now that I am aware of its properties, I rather like it," he told her.

"And now," the announcer blared over the loudspeaker. "It's time for the Kissing Cam, so get ready, couples!" On the screen, the cameras would zoom in on a couple and they would kiss, and the audience would cheer.

"What is this?" asked Spock in confusion.

"It's something to keep the crowd busy while the players warm up," Uhura explained.

Spock saw himself and Uhura on the screen suddenly. He turned to Uhura in alarm. "What does this mean?!" he asked shrilly.

She smiled crookedly. "It means you have to kiss me."

"No, that can't be. It's not logical. Isn't kissing part of the human mating ritual? We've just met!" he said frantically.

"Spock, you have to kiss me or they won't leave us alone," she said quietly.

"I'm not kissing you," he said firmly.

"You _have_ to," she said adamantly. "They'll start shouting at us." In fact, that was already happening. The crowd was yelling at Spock to kiss her.

"Nyota, I _can't_," he insisted just as adamantly.

"Oh, for goodness' sake," she mumbled. And then she grabbed him by the shirt collar and kissed him passionately on the lips. The crowd cheered, and then the Kissing Cam moved onto its next victims.

Uhura released Spock from her grasp, and he smoothed out his shirt and inhaled deeply through his nose, ignoring the fact that he still reeked of cologne. He could feel his throat tightening. His mind was racing too fast for him to focus on any one thought.

What a strange experience. He had kissed a girl. What a bizarre night this had been so far.

The game ended with the home team winning in the bottom of the ninth. Uhura and Spock hadn't spoken since they had kissed, and they still weren't speaking now that they were on the bus.

They got off at the campus and walked up the steps together. They stopped at the door and Uhura said, "Well, goodnight."

"Goodnight, Nyota," he replied softly. She started to go inside, but he grabbed her arm impulsively. He was surprised at himself. How illogical. "Wait," he said.

She looked at him expectantly. "Yes?"

"Thank you for taking me out tonight and showing me some of the things humans do. It was a good learning experience for me. I appreciate the kindness you have shown me. It is duly noted," he said.

She smiled. "No problem, Spock." She gave him a tight hug. "Goodnight."

"Even though I have already said it, I will say it again. Goodnight, Nyota," he replied, the very faintest traces of a smile on his face.

Spock headed up to his room and opened the door, shutting it behind him. He found Kirk sitting cross-legged on his bed. He appeared to have been waiting for Spock.

"There you are!" Kirk exclaimed with a grin.

"Here I am," Spock replied, not understanding what the big deal was.

"So, I didn't have any plans tonight, much to my surprise and disappointment, so I went down to the student lounge to watch tonight's baseball game. And what do I see during the seventh inning stretch but you and Uhura making out? What's that all about?" Kirk pressed.

Spock bristled. "I have no comment on this matter."

"Oh, sure you do," Kirk contradicted. "How was it? How did it happen? It was the cologne, wasn't it?"

"I said that I have no comment on this matter," Spock said obstinately. He changed into his pajamas and got in bed. Spock turned off the lights. "Goodnight, Jim."

Kirk was quiet for a moment and then he asked, "Do you think that it will happen again?"

"What, kissing her? Absolutely not!" Spock said, mortified. "It wouldn't have happened tonight if she hadn't attacked me when the camera started filming us."

Kirk started cracking up. "She _attacked_ you? Man…you must have a way with the ladies, Spock."

"I certainly do not know what you mean," he replied.

"Nyota Uhura has turned down every other guy who asked her out, and yet somehow you succeed with taking her out, and even kissing her. Do you get what I'm saying?" Kirk said.

"There are several flaws in your logic," Spock began. "For one thing, she asked me out, not the other way around. For another, we went out so that she could show me some of the things humans do for recreation because I am half human and I have never experienced this part of human culture before."

"_She_ asked _you_ out?" Kirk asked in amazement. "Wow."

"I said I have no comment on this matter!" Spock snapped. "Goodnight!" He rolled over and mashed the pillow over his head so that he couldn't hear Kirk laughing at him.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Five**

Spock walked into Xeno-linguistics class with a new outlook. He had retaken the math test, just as Uhura had suggested, and he had gotten top marks. The teachers were starting to ease up on him, and the students were starting to get bored with teasing him.

"Spock!" Uhura called. "I saved you a seat!" she said, waving him over.

Spock didn't know what to do, so he went over to where she was and set his things down. "Good morning, Nyota," he said.

"Good morning, Spock," she replied, smiling.

Some of Uhura's friends, who were sitting to the other side of her, started giggling. Spock didn't understand why. As far as he knew, nothing they had said was funny, but he didn't have much of a sense of humor, so he didn't know for sure.

The teacher walked into class and promptly said, "We're going to have an interesting class today." Everyone quieted down and got out things to take notes with. "We're going to talk about words and phrases that we use commonly that either don't exist or mean completely different things in alien languages. And not necessarily that the _words_ mean different things, but the connotations in which they are used do. Do you get what I'm saying? Let me use an example. Cadet Spock, stand up please."

Spock stood, unsure what the teacher wanted with him. "Yes, sir?" he asked.

"I want you to tell the class what planet you're from, as if it wasn't obvious enough already," the teacher instructed.

"I am from Vulcan," he said.

"Good. Now, Cadet Uhura, please stand up." Uhura stood up, looking embarrassed. "Now, I want you to tell the class what planet you're from."

"I'm from earth, sir," she said quietly.

"Okay. I'm going to use both of you in an illustration. Now, Vulcans don't have any emotions. Humans, on the other hand, are very emotional. Especially women," he joked. Uhura rolled her eyes, and no one laughed. "Now, suppose Cadet Uhura were to tell Cadet Spock that she was in love with him." As soon as he said this, the entire class burst out laughing. Uhura turned bright red, and Spock merely looked impassive, like he always did. "Do Vulcans have a word for love, Cadet Spock?"

"Yes," Spock replied. "But it is like the word sesquipedalian. People don't use it very often, if ever."

"I like that analogy!" the teacher exclaimed. "You two can sit down now. So, how would you communicate these ideas to an alien culture whose connotations of that word are different from your connotation of that word?"

After the lecture, Uhura groaned. "What is it?" Spock asked.

She finished gathering her stuff and started exiting the room. Spock followed her. "That was embarrassing," she said.

"I suppose it would be, for a human," he mused.

"You're part human! Are you telling me that that wasn't awkward and embarrassing?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

"It was a situation used purely to illustrate an academic point," he said. "I had no problems with it. Our instructor made a good point."

"Yeah, but still," she grumbled.

Spock saw Kirk in the hall. He raised his hand in greeting. "Jim!" he called.

Kirk turned and saw Spock, and more importantly, Uhura, heading towards him. He ran his fingers through his hair and met them. "Hey, guys," he said in a friendly tone, moving in between them and slipping his arms around each of their shoulders. "How was class?" he asked.

"It was intriguing," Spock said, right as Uhura said, "It was awful."

Spock ignored Uhura's negative assessment of the lesson and asked, "How was your class?"

Kirk shrugged, casually removing his arm from Spock's shoulder, so now he only had his arm around Uhura. "I don't know."

Spock narrowed his eyes at him. "What do you mean you don't know?"

"I wasn't there," he replied.

"I can't believe you," Uhura said accusingly. "You don't pay this monstrous tuition every month just to party and pick up girls. We have a responsibility to the Federation. We are the future of Starfleet and you're…you're a loser!"

"Aw, baby," he complained, sliding his hand down her back. "I think that's being a little harsh."

She whirled around and slapped him across the face. "_Don't_," she said firmly, wagging her finger at him.

"Don't what?" he asked with a dopey smile on his face.

"You know what," she said evenly. "I am trying to focus on graduating and building a life for myself in Starfleet and I don't need an underachiever like you bogging me down."

"And yet you're willing to go out with Spock," Kirk pointed out.

"I didn't go out with him!" she exclaimed. "I took one night and tried to show him how to be human and he hated every moment of it anyway!" She turned around and stormed away.

Spock had watched this outburst with raised eyebrows. He wasn't sure what to say to his roommate, who had apparently just tried and failed to seduce Cadet Uhura. At least, that's what Spock gleaned from their discussion.

Kirk waved his hand dismissively. "She's playing hard to get," he told Spock.

"I am not certain as to what exactly you mean, but that phrase implies that she wishes to be 'gotten' and from that discussion you just had with her, she does not wish this, so I think you have drawn the wrong conclusion from the premises," Spock explained.

"Well…whatever," Kirk said.

"It appears that she has gotten the wrong impression of me," Spock mused. "I should make amends." Spock left to go find Uhura.

He found her at the picnic table where they had first officially met. She was frantically doing homework from one of her language classes. It looked like a very long and complicated translation of some sort. She was crying.

Spock was immediately thrown for a loop, so he did not say anything to her while he thought about how he might respond to the situation. While he was considering every possible thing he could say to her without further inciting her, she sniffled, "I know you're there. I can _see_ you." She wasn't even looking at him when she said this; she was still engrossed in her translation.

"I was considering how I might tactfully address the issue," he said calmly, folding his hands behind his back. "I apologize for the behavior my roommate exhibited earlier. I am not sure what he did, but knowing him, it probably wasn't anything respectful."

"You shouldn't be the one apologizing," she snarled. "He should."

"Well, I'm doing it anyway, because he probably never will," Spock replied coolly. "I would also like to clarify a point you made earlier that was based on faulty logic. You have somehow drawn the conclusion that I disliked our evening together the other day, when in fact, I enjoyed it very much, and I appreciate the consideration you have taken for me."

She turned to look at him for the first time since their conversation began. "I'm glad you enjoyed it. It didn't seem like you enjoyed yourself. You were just kind of deadpan about everything."

"I am a Vulcan," he explained. "What did you expect?"

She laughed and wiped away the last vestiges of her tears. "I guess you're right." She patted the seat beside her. "Sit down?" she offered.

Spock considered it for a long time before finally sitting down beside her. She smiled, like his choice to willingly sit next to her had made her day. "So, Spock," she said. "What inspired you to join Starfleet?"

"The Vulcan Science Academy wouldn't treat me as an academic equal because of my human mother. Although I was accepted, I wanted their respect, not their pity, and I did not like the way they talked about my mother. Starfleet was the next logical choice," he explained.

"What would have been the logical choice after Starfleet?" she asked.

Spock looked ever so slightly angry. "There were no logical options for me after Starfleet, so I guess it is a good thing that I am here."

"I definitely think so," she said quietly.

After a long pause, Spock decided that he would reciprocate her interest in him by asking a question about herself. "Why did you apply for Starfleet?" he asked.

"Almost everyone in my entire family dating back to the Federation's inception has had a successful and decorated career in Starfleet," she said. "It was only natural for me to join." She touched him on the arm suddenly. "Hey, do you know how to play 3D chess?"

He was surprised at the randomness of her question and by the fact that she was touching him. "Yes, of course. Every self-respecting Vulcan knows how to play 3D chess."

"They have a bunch of sets in the student lounge," she said. "We should play a game or two sometime."

"If you wish," Spock replied. "I really must be going. I have homework."

"You can do your homework here, silly," she said, smiling. "Stay here. With me."

Spock couldn't find a logical reason to avoid doing this, and he assumed that if he said no, she would probably become emotional again, so he agreed to her proposition. He took out the things he needed to work on and started doing it.

Before Spock knew it, the bell rang for dinner. As they were packing up their things, Uhura said, "Hey, we should have dinner together in the cafeteria."

"I do not think so," he replied. "Maybe some other time. I'm not hungry tonight."

"Okay," she said, sounding slightly disappointed.

Spock went back to his room and finished his homework while everyone else was eating dinner. When he was done with that, he didn't know what to do with himself. He decided to call his mom.

He picked up his phone and dialed their number. Interplanetary calls were extremely expensive, so he hadn't called her yet, but he felt like he needed to talk to her and find out how everything on Vulcan was going.

His mom picked up on the first ring. "Hello?" she asked breathlessly.

"Hello, mother," he greeted. "It's Spock."

"Sweetheart!" she exclaimed. "Oh, Spock! How are you? How is school? Do you have friends? How are you doing in your classes? Tell me everything!"

"I am well, and school is fine. I am excelling in my classes," he told her, purposefully ignoring the question about having friends. He didn't want to sadden her.

"Well, I knew that," she said. "But I thought I'd ask just to be polite."

"How are you?" Spock asked.

"I miss you," she said immediately. "Things just aren't the same without you here. But besides that, I'm fine."

"How is father? Is his job well?" Spock asked.

"Sarek is fine," Amanda said. "He'll actually be making a trip to earth next month for a few weeks. I tell you, it won't be the same being all alone in this big, old house."

"I am pleased that you and father are doing well," Spock said.

"So, how do you like earth, baby?" she asked him.

"It is…different," he said, searching for an inoffensive word.

She laughed. "That it is. Are you having trouble getting used to it?"

"Some," he admitted. "My roommate, James Kirk, helps me if I do not understand something. Also, I have experienced some of the rituals of recreation found on this planet," he said, knowing his mother would be pleased to hear about that.

"Oh?" she asked. "What did you do?"

"A classmate of mine, Nyota Uhura, wanted to show me how to be a human, so she took me out to dinner. We ate Italian food. I found it to be an unsatisfactory source of nourishment. Then we took a bus to a stadium and witnessed the sporting event known as baseball," Spock said.

"A _girl_ took you to do all this?" Amanda asked, an interesting tone to her voice.

"Yes, mother," Spock said. "I did homework with her today. She asked me to eat with her tonight, but I respectfully declined."

"Well, why did you do that?" Amanda demanded.

"I was not hungry," Spock answered, puzzled.

"Spock, I think this Nyota girl has a _thing_ for you," Amanda said, grinning.

"I am certain that I do not know what you mean," Spock replied.

"I think she has feelings for you," she said.

"Of course she does. You humans have feelings for _everything_," Spock said crabbily.

"No, I mean that I think she loves you," she said, knowing she had to be very obvious so that her son would get it.

"No, that would be illogical," Spock answered quickly.

"Why? What is so illogical about someone liking you that way?" she challenged.

"It just…is. Can we please change the subject?" Spock asked uncomfortably.

"Of course, dear," she replied.

Spock looked at the clock at was amazed to find out how long he'd been on the phone. The bill would be enormous. "Mother, I am afraid to say that I must cut our conversation short. This call is becoming costly."

"Oh, sweetie, I'm sorry," she said. "I completely forgot!"

"It is not a problem," he said. "Give father my greetings."

"I will," she promised. "I love you, Spock."

"Goodbye, mother," he said softly.

"Goodbye, sweetheart," she told him.

He hung up the phone.

Kirk smiled. He was talking to two girls. "So there I was," he said. "We were outnumbered. My commanding officer was unconscious. There were some other men wounded. And I thought to myself, what am I going to do? Someone had to take charge. Someone had to save the lives of my squadron. So I assumed command. I single-handedly destroyed the attacking Klingons and saved my platoon. We all beamed up safely. Sure, there were a few casualties, but it could have been a lot, lot worse. That's when I decided that I'd study to be a captain," he finished.

"Wow," one of the girls breathed. She glanced at her friend and giggled.

Her friend smiled coyly. "You're _amazing_, James," she sighed.

He grinned. "So that's the story of my basic training exercise gone wrong. I have more stories, if you want to hear them."

"Oh, of course we do," the first girl said flirtatiously. "We just can't get enough of you, James."

"That's just the way I like it," he replied, winking. The girls glanced at each other and started giggling hysterically.

Spock approached his roommate and the two laughing girls. He gave the girls a puzzled look before tapping Kirk on the shoulder. "Jim, I need you," he said quietly.

The girls stopped laughing and the second one gave Spock a steely look. "James, do you know this loser?"

"He's my roommate," Kirk replied quietly.

The first girl wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Weird," was all she said before she and her friend got up and walked away.

"Really, Spock?" Kirk asked, turning around in his chair to face the Vulcan. "While I was impressing the ladies?"

"The story you told them was untrue, so any feelings of romance they may have had for you were based on lies, anyway," Spock said dismissively. "And besides, I have a more pressing matter to discuss."

"What could be more pressing than picking up girls?" Kirk demanded.

"This," Spock said unflinchingly.

"Oh, okay then," Kirk said sarcastically. "What's the scoop?"

"I require your unique skill-set," Spock said uncomfortably. "I believe that Cadet Uhura may be getting the wrong idea about me. At least, that is what some people think. If this is indeed the truth, which it's probably not, then everything would fall apart."

"So, what you're saying is that you think Uhura likes you, and you don't want that to happen?" Kirk asked skeptically. Spock nodded. "Spock," sighed Kirk. "I will never understand the way your mind works, and frankly, I don't want to. What does this have to do with me?"

"I would appreciate it if you distracted her," Spock said softly.

Kirk's eyebrows flew up. "You want me to hit on Uhura?"

"I would consider it a personal favor if you did," Spock said.

Kirk jumped up and clapped Spock on the shoulder. "We have a deal." He rubbed his hands together. "Where to begin?" he murmured.

Uhura walked into the student lounge at that precise moment. She looked around for a minute and then spotted Spock and Kirk. "Spock!" she exclaimed, waving to him as she trotted over.

"Here we go," Kirk said, smiling devilishly. As soon as Uhura reached them, Kirk grabbed her around the waist and kissed her.

She pulled away and slapped him across the face. "You sure do know how to make a girl feel special, Jim," she sighed sarcastically. She turned to Spock. "How do you put up with this idiot?" she asked, gesturing to Kirk.

"It's rather difficult, I will admit," he said.

"I can imagine that," she said, glaring at Kirk. She turned back to Spock and smiled. "Do you want to play chess with me?"

"He stinks at chess," Kirk jumped in. "But I'll play with you."

Uhura looked at them helplessly before reluctantly agreeing. She and Kirk sat down on opposite sides of the 3D chess set. Spock was curious to see how this would play out, so he asked, "Do you mind if I observe?"

"Of course not," Uhura said. "You can have next game, if you want."

Spock purposefully sat down next to Kirk and watched the proceedings. Kirk clearly had no idea what he was doing and he got checkmated in about three moves. Spock was disappointed in his roommate, though he couldn't say he was surprised.

"So, Uhura," said Kirk casually, after he had lost the game. "When I make Captain, you'll be the first crew member chosen. What exactly are you doing again?"

"Communications Officer," she replied. "And no offense, but I don't want to be on any ship that has _you_ aboard."

"Oh, yeah? Well…" Kirk couldn't think of a clever response to her insult, so he just stuck his tongue out at her.

"Human banter is very amusing to watch," Spock commented, the faintest traces of a smile on his face.

Uhura did a double take. "Were you smiling?"

He raised an eyebrow and regarded her strangely. "No. Whatever gave you that idea?"

Uhura grinned. "You were smiling!" she insisted, whacking him playfully on the shoulder.

"I most certainly was not, and I would thank you not to hit me," he replied.

"Admit it, you were smiling," she said, her eyes sparkling.

"I wasn't smiling!" he said exasperatedly. "Humans smile. I am not a human. Therefore, I do not smile."

"You're half human," she pointed out. "So…maybe it was a half smile?"

He sighed and rubbed his forehead in exasperation. "If you insist."

She smiled and took his hand from across the table. Her skin was soft and warm. Spock looked at their intertwined hands and said softly, "Please don't touch me."

"Why not?" she whispered, gripping his hand tighter.

Spock extracted his hand from hers. "It makes me uncomfortable."

"I'm sorry," she said.

"You can hold my hand," Kirk quipped. "I don't mind."

Uhura stared at him. "Thanks, but no thanks."

Spock stood up. "I really must be going. You two have…fun? Yes, I believe that is the proper human term. Goodnight." With that, he left.

Kirk came back to the room late that night. Spock sat up in bed and flipped on the lights. "How did your attempt to woo Uhura go?"

"I failed miserably," he grumbled. "That girl's got a lot of willpower. She _does_ _not_ want to go out with me, Spock. I am curious about something, though. Why do you _really_ want me to go out with her? Because I've got a theory…"

"I'm sure this theory is completely illogical, but I know you are going to tell me anyway," Spock said with a sigh.

"I think that you like Uhura, and I think that freaks you out. You asked me to go out with her because then it would give you a logical reason to not pursue her," Kirk explained, clearly enjoying every minute of it.

"There already is a logical reason for me not to pursue her, hypothetically speaking, of course," Spock said tiredly. "She is a human, and I am a Vulcan. I cannot love her. And all she would get from loving me is disappointment."

"You're half human. I think you can love," Kirk declared. "And I think my theory is right."

"It's not," Spock replied. "You're completely illogical. And irrational."

"I think you should ask her out. She's pretty keen on you, Spock. You could actually be successful with this," Kirk mused.

"I refuse to speak of this matter any further with you," Spock snapped. He flipped the lights off.

Kirk got in bed and started to quietly sing, "Spock and Uhura, sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes a Vulcan in a baby carriage."

Spock flipped the lights on. "What is this nonsense?!" he demanded.

"Why are you getting so worked up about it?" Kirk teased. "It's because you like her, isn't it?"

"If you don't stop talking about this, I will Vulcan nerve pinch you," Spock growled. Kirk didn't say anything more after that.

Spock was in biology class the next day. He was thankful that today didn't include any classes with Cadet Uhura. He would no doubt see her on campus, though. She had a habit of turning up when he least expected.

Class was dismissed and he accidentally bumped someone in his attempt to get out of the room. The guy was tall and had short brown hair and greenish-gray eyes. "Excuse me," Spock said, hurrying away.

"No problem, pointy ears!" the guy called after him.

Spock tried to remember if he had learned the guy's name. Leonard. Leonard McCoy. He was going to be a doctor. Spock hadn't spoken to him much beyond learning the information he was now remembering. They pretty much avoided each other, just like Spock avoided everyone.

It was lunch time. Spock knew he would probably end up running into Uhura in the cafeteria, but he was really hungry, so he decided to risk it. Spock picked up a tray and got in line.

"Excuse me," said a feminine voice. Someone tapped him on the shoulder. Spock assumed that it was the owner of the feminine voice.

"Yes?" Spock asked, turning around so he could see who was talking to him. It was petite, pretty girl with wide eyes. Spock didn't recognize her at all.

"I've seen you around school," she said. "A lot of people make fun of you. You must be really shy, huh? I know what it's like to be shy. I was really shy in high school. It's hard. Do you want to eat with me and my boyfriend?" she asked kindly.

Spock stared at her. "I generally try not to take heed of the things people say about me, so when you tell me things like this, you are simply reminding me of something that I am purposefully ignoring, therefore making my life more difficult."

She looked taken aback. "I'm sorry. I was just trying to be nice. I know how painful it is to be shy."

Spock looked at her curiously. "I do not experience this feeling that you refer to as "shy", although I believe you when you say that you have felt it. You do not know me, cadet, nor do you know anything about me. You probably do not even know my name. What gives you the right to make assumptions about me? On Vulcan, this is considered to be very rude."

"I'm sorry," she said again, quivering under Spock's cold gaze. "I didn't know. I don't know anything about Vulcan. Do…do you still want to have lunch with us?"

"I do not wish to eat lunch with you, and as a matter of fact, I am no longer hungry," he said tightly. He despised when people assumed he was experiencing emotion. Like he said, making assumptions about people's emotions was considered rude on his planet.

The girl fled from the lunch line in tears. Well, that was unexpected. Spock blinked rapidly and addressed the guy that had been standing behind her and was now standing behind Spock. "What did I do? Was it something I said?" he asked in deep puzzlement.

The guy rolled his eyes and muttered, "Vulcans."

Spock put his tray back in the pile and then headed to leave the cafeteria. He bumped into McCoy _again_. Except this time, McCoy looked seriously ticked off and he grabbed Spock roughly by the arm. "My girlfriend is crying because of you," he growled.

Spock blinked. This was an interesting chain of events and coincidences. "I apologize. I wasn't trying to make her emotional; I was merely relaying the facts."

"_Facts_?" McCoy snarled. "You think you're better than us just because you can't _feel_? Who do you think you are?"

Spock yanked his arm from McCoy's grip. "I think that I am Spock, I think that I am a Vulcan, and I think that I can't feel," he replied edgily.

McCoy didn't realize that Spock was being honest and was essentially incapable of mockery or sarcasm, so he took this the completely wrong way. "You're a robot, and a-"

Spock cut him off. "If you are trying to make me angry, you are not succeeding. Your insults are illogical."

"Half breed," McCoy finished smugly.

Spock face contorted into a livid snarl and he punched McCoy in the face. With howls of unrestrained rage, Spock continued to punch McCoy in the head. McCoy was stunned and knocked off balance for a moment, but then he found his footing and started fighting back.

He took a swing at Spock and connected with Spock's nose. Green and red blood splattered everywhere. Tears were streaming from Spock's eyes, mostly because that's just how your body reacts when you get hit that hard in the nose.

Spock kicked McCoy in the shin and punched him in the stomach. McCoy yelled and punched Spock in the mouth. Spock spit green blood on the floor and tackled McCoy. They went rolling around and around on the floor until Spock got the upper hand and started punching McCoy repeatedly in the face.

By now, a huge crowd had gathered. Screams and shouts egging them on permeated the cafeteria. Spock ignored it all. He was focusing on his blind rage. He couldn't control it. And for the first time in his life, he didn't want to.

And then McCoy rallied. McCoy flipped over, so that now he was on top of Spock. He started socking Spock in the face over and over again. There was blood everywhere. Spock didn't even try to fight anymore. He welcomed the pain.

"Stop!" a frightened voice cried suddenly. It was Uhura. She ran over and hauled McCoy off of Spock. "Stop! You'll kill him!" she screeched.

"Then why stop me now?" McCoy grunted, spitting blood onto the floor.

Spock gasped for breath. He rolled over onto his stomach. There was so much blood. Blood everywhere. Spock couldn't see.

"Spock?" Uhura asked quietly, tentatively approaching him.

Spock staggered to his feet and ran.

Spock didn't run very far. He ran down a couple of halls and around a corner before he needed to stop. He leaned against the wall and slid to the floor, breathing heavily. His chest was tight. He just needed a moment. Just a moment.

He hung his head. "I am in control of my emotions," he gasped. "I am in control of my emotions."

He heard footsteps, but he didn't look up. He didn't care who it was. "Spock?" said Uhura tenderly. "Are you okay?"

"No," he replied, without looking up.

She sat down next to him and rubbed his shoulder. They sat like this for a long time. Finally, she said, "Spock, look at me."

He raised his head and looked her in the eyes. She looked surprised. "Your blood is green," she said lamely.

Spock blinked and then he started laughing. He couldn't help it. His emotions had already been running high that day, what with getting into a fight and all. Uhura started laughing too, even though she didn't quite know why.

"You're laughing," Uhura managed to say. "It's the first time I've ever heard you laugh."

"I guarantee that it will also be the last time," Spock said, reining in his emotions. He wiped his eyes. What a day. Two things he hadn't done since he was a child: fought and laughed.

She grabbed his hand suddenly and hauled him to his feet. "Come on. Let's get you cleaned up." She led him down the hall and took him into a bathroom.

"This is a female bathroom," he objected, trying to brace himself in the door. He was _not_ going in there without putting up a fight.

She laughed. "Come on, you big baby. It's just a bathroom. There's no one in here anyway. Hardly anyone ever comes in here because it's kind of out of the way. Come on," she insisted, tugging on his hand.

He reluctantly allowed himself to be dragged into the bathroom. The bathrooms in the Starfleet Academy were nice. They were spotlessly clean and had real hand towels and stuff. Uhura motioned for Spock to sit in a chair in the corner. He obliged.

She grabbed a wash cloth from a shelf above the sink and turned the water on. She dampened the cloth and turned the water off. She went over to Spock and knelt down beside him. He was staring blankly at the wall across the room.

She gently began to clean the blood from his face. He allowed her. His mind was in kind of a fog right now. He took the opportunity to logically organize his thoughts. He was starting to feel better. Back to his old, emotionless self.

She started wiping the blood from his nose and he winced, inhaling sharply. "I'm sorry," Uhura murmured. "I know this hurts. But it has to be done." She tried to be as gentle as possible, but she knew she was still hurting Spock.

Eventually, she leaned back and said, "I'm done."

He looked at her. "Thank you, Nyota," he whispered.

"Of course," she replied. "You may want to see the doctor. I think your nose is broken."

"I'll be fine," he said dismissively.

She gave him a swift kiss on the cheek and then hugged him fiercely. "Try not to get into any more fights, m'kay? You could have died."

"You're touching me again, Nyota," he said stiffly.

She released him and looked embarrassed. "Sorry."

He sighed. "I suppose I can't expect anything else. Humans will behave like humans."

She smiled wistfully. "And unfortunately, Vulcans will behave like Vulcans."

He raised an eyebrow. "Unfortunately?"

"For me," she said sadly. "We'd better get out of here before someone else finds us and gets the wrong impression."

The left the bathroom, and Spock headed down the hall. Uhura watched him leave.

When Spock woke up the next morning, his nose was swollen and puffy, and he had double black eyes. Charming. There was pretty much nothing he could do to better his appearance, so he just sighed and went to class.

At least Cadet McCoy was in pretty much the same state as he was. That made him feel a little bit better about things. Spock endured class, and Uhura's pitying glances from across the room. After class, Uhura came up to him.

"Oh, Spock," she said, a sympathetic smile on her face. She put her hand on his cheek. "You look terrible," she commented.

"Thank you? I mean, what am I supposed to say to a remark like that?" he replied, gently removing her hand from his face.

She laughed. "I really don't know. That's what people say in situations like this."

"I really must be going," he excused himself. "Have a nice day." He hurried out of the room as quickly as was polite.

He went back to his dorm and tossed his stuff on the bed. Kirk burst into the room suddenly. "Hey, Spock!" Kirk said cheerfully.

"Good afternoon, James," Spock replied carefully. He reached for his biology stuff, but Kirk slapped his hand. "What on earth was that for?" Spock inquired, rubbing his hand.

"Don't _touch_ your homework," Kirk said threateningly, wagging his finger at Spock.

"May I ask why not?" Spock said tiredly. Humans were so incredibly bothersome. He didn't know what Kirk was doing half the time, and Uhura didn't seem to understand that Spock couldn't be her boyfriend.

"You may. We are going out tonight. You've had a rough couple of days, so me and the guys are taking you out for a drink," Kirk explained.

Spock looked unenthused. "I don't drink, James."

Kirk looked shocked. "Why not?"

"Well, for one thing, Vulcans are incapable of becoming inebriated, and for another thing, alcohol turns even the wisest men into blithering imbeciles. I'd hate to see what it does to you," Spock remarked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, you're coming with us anyway," Kirk said, putting his arm around Spock's shoulders. "You can watch the rest of us be blinking windowsills or whatever you called us."

Spock's eyebrows shot up. "Blithering imbeciles. Blinking windowsills makes absolutely no sense whatsoever." Spock sighed loudly. "I suppose that I will accompany you anyway."

Spock and Kirk went down to a shady-looking bar a few blocks away. It was called One-Eyed Pete's. Spock appraised the building with raised eyebrows. "Remind me why I agreed to come again."

"Because I forced you," Kirk replied.

"I never imagined myself going to a grubby tavern called One-Eyed Pete's," Spock mused distastefully.

"Well, there's a first time for everything," Kirk replied, ushering Spock into the bar.

"So, who are we meeting here?" Spock asked. "When you invited me, you implied that there would be more people attending."

"Just one more, actually," Kirk said with a slight frown.

"Oh?" Spock asked, intrigued by Kirk's reaction.

"Jim!" someone heartily cried from the bar.

"Bones!" Kirk replied. He dodged behind someone else and hugged the person who had called out to him. Spock blanched.

"Kirk," he said levelly, an edge of anger to his voice. "You neglected to inform me that Cadet McCoy would be attending."

"Kirk, what the heck is that green-blooded hobgoblin doing here?" Bones replied angrily.

"I'm leaving," Spock said promptly.

"Wait!" Kirk cried. He snagged a glass of whisky off the tray of a passing waitress and downed the whole thing in a few gulps. He slammed the cup down on the bar and staggered back a few steps. "Wow," he remarked, shaking his head slightly. He turned to Spock. "You can't leave now. It would be illoogical to leave me alone, without an escort."

Bones started laughing so hard that he snorted mint julep out of his nose. "Illoogical!" he howled.

Kirk started laughing hysterically. "I said illoogical! I…I…" Kirk started laughing so hard that he was unable to speak.

Spock raised his eyebrows. "Yes, now I am indeed beginning to think that leaving you two fools here alone would be _illoogical_."

Kirk and Bones glanced at each other and both burst into raucous laughter. "He said it!" Bones exclaimed, taking another swig.

"For goodness' sake," Spock muttered, rolling his eyes and sitting down on a bar stool in between Kirk and Spock.

"We'll get another round over here!" called Kirk to the bartender.

"None for me, please," Spock interjected quickly.

The bartender shot him a look. "You're sure you don't want anything?"

"I'll just have some water," Spock decided.

"Okay, here's two beers and one…water," the bartender said, sliding their drinks to them.

Spock took a delicate sip, and the other two started chugging away. They could have been mistaken for two suicidal people trying to drown themselves. "Pace yourselves," Spock said, watching them curiously.

"Nah," Kirk decided, taking another gulp.

"So, is there any particular reason why Kirk calls you Bones?" Spock asked, trying to make conversation.

Bones shrugged, effectively sloshing alcohol all over the bar. "When my wife divorced me, she left me nothing but my bones. Hence, Kirk's nickname for me."

"How long were you married?" Spock asked.

"Less than a month. It was a match made in Hell, believe me," Bones said. "Then I joined Starfleet."

A very attractive young woman sat down next to Kirk all of the sudden. "Hey, baby," he greeted. "Can I buy you a drink?"

The girl appraised him silently for a moment before replying, "No, but your friend can," she said, smiling flirtatiously.

"Hey, I'd be more than happy to buy you a drink," Bones said, grinning.

"No, I mean your pointy-eared friend," she said, getting up off the stool and coming over to Spock. She ran her fingers up his arm and then lightly touched the tips of his ears. He shied away from her instinctively. "Don't worry," she said. "I don't bite."

"Madam, I don't know you," he replied.

"Well, buy me a drink and we can get to know each other," she replied, putting her arm around him.

Spock looked like a deer in headlights. He looked around wildly. He saw no feasible means of escape. He was trapped. Then, suddenly, he reached out and used the Vulcan nerve pinch on her. She fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Man, what did you do that for?" Kirk complained.

"I didn't know what else to do!" he replied. "She was stressing me out…and she was _touching_ me!" He shuddered just thinking about it.

Kirk and Bones ordered more drinks. And more drinks. And more drinks. And more drinks. They ordered a lot of drinks. "Aw, Spock old buddy," Bones said, clapping Spock on the shoulder. "I didn't know here was you."

"Yes, I've been here since Kirk got here," Spock replied.

Bones scrunched up his face. "Really? I don't remember…"

"That doesn't surprise me," Spock muttered.

That caused Bones to crack up. "Ah…you're funny, Spock. Funny, funny, funny." He took another gulp. "No hard feelings about hitting you and stuff right?"

"I don't have feelings, hard or otherwise," Spock replied.

Bones started laughing hysterically. "You're so funny!" he gasped. He raised his glass. "Cheers. To new friends."

Spock raised his water glass and lightly tapped it against Bones' glass. "To new friends," he replied, taking a sip.

Bones took a big gulp and then set his empty glass on the bar. He belched loudly, and then promptly threw up in Spock's lap before falling off the stool, passed out on the floor.

Spock closed his eyes briefly and murmured. "Indeed."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Six**

Spock was doing homework outside at the picnic table, because it was a nice day. A group of boys were gathered a few yards away from the picnic table. Spock could hear them mocking him, but he tried to ignore them.

"Spock," said a familiar voice. Someone laid a hand on his shoulder.

Spock jumped to his feet. "Father!" he exclaimed. He was almost smiling. Almost.

Spock folded his arms behind his back, and Sarek did the same. Sarek glanced at the group of boys, who were giving each other the Vulcan sign, miming pointy ears, putting their hands behind their back, and pretending to look emotionless. Then they would start howling with laughter.

Sarek raised his eyebrows. "Son, I believe those delinquents are mocking us."

Spock waved his hand dismissively. "Just ignore them. They always make fun of me."

Sarek cocked his head. "Intriguing. I'll be back momentarily." Sarek walked over to the boys and spoke with their leader for a second. The boy must have said something that Sarek didn't like, because Sarek suddenly grabbed either side of the boy's face, his fingers splayed out to hit the proper pressure points. The boy passed out and the rest of them ran away in terror.

Spock raised his eyebrows at his approaching father. "The Vulcan death grip?" he asked skeptically.

"Indeed," Sarek replied smugly. "When the boy regains consciousness in a few hours, he will experience severe head and back pain, but he certainly won't experience any permanent damage."

"I was not expecting you, father," Spock said. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"

"Your mother told you I was coming this month, and I decided on a whim that I would stop by on one of my free nights and pay you a visit. You are my son, after all," Sarek explained. "However, I completely understand that my surprise visit may inconvenience you, so if you cannot afford the time, just tell me."

Spock considered this for a minute. He really couldn't afford the time away from his work, but he had missed his family very much and it was refreshing to see another Vulcan. "Of course it does not inconvenience me, father," he replied.

"Excellent," Sarek replied. "Let us talk over dinner." Spock nodded, and he followed his father to the shuttle Sarek used as ambassador.

"One of my favorite parts about coming to earth is Italian food," Sarek confided. Spock made a face, but said nothing. Sarek noticed, however. "What does that expression mean?" he asked curiously.

"I find Italian food to be an unsatisfactory source of nourishment," he admitted.

Sarek pondered this for a moment. "How very strange. Your mother has a strong dislike for Italian food also. That is why she never makes it. Curious, that you are like your mother in this way."

"I am like my mother in a lot of ways," he said quietly.

"I know of a good place to eat that isn't Italian," Sarek replied, deciding to ignore Spock's statement. He told the driver where to go, and then he settled back in his seat. "So, tell me how school is."

"School is going well. I am learning a lot. I expect that I will graduate shortly, and from what my instructors have said, I will be assigned to a starship almost immediately," Spock said.

"That is good. Do you think there will be any time for you to return home?" Sarek asked.

"Not in the foreseeable future," Spock said uncomfortably.

"That is unfortunate. Your mother misses you a great deal. She sends her love, by the way," Sarek added.

They arrived at the restaurant and they were seated and served in no time. Apparently, ambassadors got VIP treatment. "So, do you have any friends?" Sarek asked randomly, taking a sip of water.

"I suppose so," Spock said thoughtfully.

"Who are they and what do they aspire to become?" Sarek asked.

"My roommate, James Kirk, desires to become a Captain. Leonard McCoy, with whom I share a very colorful friendship, is going to be a doctor. And I have another friend who is going to be a Communications Officer," Spock replied.

"Colorful?" Sarek asked inquisitively.

"I inadvertently insulted his female companion, and he attacked me. Later, he apologized whilst intoxicated by alcohol, right before throwing up on me. I help him study for biology now," Spock said casually.

"It sounds like your life has changed drastically in the time that you've been gone," Sarek commented.

"Yes, I guess it has," Spock replied thoughtfully, taking a bite.

"What do you think of human culture? It is different from ours."

"Vastly," Spock agreed. "It has been hard to get used to. Being aboard a starship with nothing but humans will be a challenge, but it is one that I intend to face head-on."

"What have you experienced of human culture?" Sarek asked.

"I ate Italian food. I went to a bar and watched people get drunk. I rode on a bus," he said with a shiver. "And I went to a baseball game."

"Sounds like you have had some good experiences with human traditions. You mentioned you had a friend going into Communications. That is a very difficult field. This must be a very intelligent individual," Sarek mentioned.

"She is," Spock replied, taking a sip of his drink.

Sarek raised his eyebrows. "_She_?"

"Nyota Uhura is a female, yes," Spock said, rather embarrassed now.

Sarek smirked, which was unusual for a Vulcan. "How do you find the human females?"

"I am not sure I know what you mean," he muttered, reddening slightly.

"They are different from Vulcan females," Sarek clarified.

"Yes, they are," Spock agreed. "These females expect things from me that I cannot supply. I think some of them are attracted to me. I don't like it."

"Yes, I found that human females behave like this around Vulcans. We are different than human males, therefore making us more interesting to them. Also, I think they like the ears," Sarek mused. "Does this girl, Nyota, fall under the category of female behavior that you speak of?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Spock admitted. "I think she has taken romantic interest in me. I do not like it because she does not know what she is getting into. It takes a unique woman to be able to put up with the fact that we do not show emotions."

"Like your mother," supplied Sarek.

"Yes, like mother. Any other woman would have gone mad. Nyota does not understand that what she gives, I cannot give back. Relationships are supposed to be give and take, right? Each person gives to the other, and takes what their partner has to give. I could just take. I couldn't give. It would be dysfunctional."

"That is what I thought when I met your mother," Sarek said quietly. "She was a schoolteacher, and very good at her job. She behaved quite similarly to the way you are describing. I tried to discourage her, but I will admit that I was quite enamored with her." He shrugged. "You know what happens from there."

Spock was greatly puzzled. His eyebrows knotted together in confusion. "I do not understand," he said slowly. "When I was a child, you told me that you married mother because it was the logical thing to do."

Sarek sighed. "That is what I told you, myself, and many others. But it was not entirely the truth. Yes, it was a logical thing to do, but was it why I married her? No. Spock, I married her because I loved her."

Spock blinked. "Why didn't you tell me this before?"

Sarek shrugged. "I did not think that it was wise at the time. You were still trying to choose your own identity. I tell you the truth now because you have chosen your path and are well-grounded in it."

"I am not so sure any more," he admitted. "I'm neither human nor Vulcan. I am…something else. It's just a matter of figuring out what that is."

"I hope that you figure it out, my child," Sarek said.

"I do, too," Spock said wearily.

They finished eating and Sarek took Spock back to the academy. "It was good to see you again, father, even if it was for so short a time," Spock said.

"I also enjoyed seeing you again, my son. I think we had a productive conversation tonight," Sarek replied.

"I agree," Spock said. "I will miss you."

"As will I," Sarek said.

"Tell mother that I…," Spock faltered. "Tell mother that I miss her," he decided.

Sarek nodded. "I will do that. Goodbye, Spock."

Spock embraced his father. "Goodbye, father," he whispered.

"Hi, Spock!" Uhura said cheerily, hurrying over to him in the hall. They had just got out of Xeno-linguistics class.

He glanced over at her. "Hello, Nyota," he said.

"Okay, so I was thinking…," she began. "I'm having a lot of trouble understanding the basic principles behind the language we were studying today. I was wondering if maybe…you could tutor me or something like that?" she asked.

He stared at her. "What causes you to think that I would be the person properly suited for this job?"

She shrugged. "You're a genius, so I figured that you could probably help me out a little."

Spock considered it. On the one hand, she could just be subliminally sending him romantic signals…or she really could be asking for help. Spock decided that he would help her, on the off chance that she was really having problems. "Very well," he said with a sigh. "I will attempt to assist you. Where shall we meet to study? Perhaps the library would be a good choice. It's usually empty."

Uhura made a face. "Um…I heard that a bunch of other people are going to meet in the library to study tonight. And besides, I was thinking we could…go to a coffee shop or maybe even grab dinner before we get to work. What do you think of that?"

"I believe that it would be efficient if we ate dinner together before studying," Spock replied, completely missing the point. "We can talk about why you're having problems during the meal, thus saving time when we actually get to work."

"Yeah, exactly!" Uhura encouraged. She took a pen from her bag and scribbled an address on the back of his hand. "Meet me here at six."

He stared at his hand like it was covered in raw sewage. "You wrote on me," he spluttered in disbelief.

"So?" she asked, seemingly unaware that Spock was having a crisis.

"It's odd. I do not like it. My cells are absorbing the ink as we speak."

"It washes off, but at least write the address down before you erase it, okay?" she said, trying to understand what was happening. She filed that fact away in her mind with the other things she knew about Spock. He couldn't get drunk, he didn't like Italian food, he liked soda, and he didn't like people writing on him.

Spock prepared for his outing that night by himself, since Kirk was otherwise occupied with Bones. Spock could only imagine what kind of mayhem and mischief they were creating.

He decided that he would borrow some of Kirk's clothes again, because he thought it would be wise if he at least made a small gesture to assimilate into human society. He put on the exact same clothes Kirk had lent him last time, only he skipped on the cologne. He didn't think he could control the urge to vomit this time.

He grabbed his backpack and glanced at the address on his hand. It was nearby, so he decided to walk. When he got inside the restaurant, the seating host asked, "Table for one?"

"Actually, sir, I am meeting someone here. Has a female by the name of Nyota Uhura arrived yet?" he questioned.

The host smiled slyly. "As a matter of fact…she's at that table right over there," he said, pointing.

"Thank you," Spock said politely, heading over to Uhura. His eyes widened when he got there. For one thing, she was wearing a very pretty sundress that definitely was _not_ anything like the issued uniforms. It was a just hint too short and just a bit too low. For another, the table was completely covered with food. There was sausage, burgers, hot dogs, steak, ham, fried chicken, fish filets, sushi, chicken noodle soup, beef stew, sub sandwiches piled high with assorted lunch meats, shish kabobs, and beef and chicken tacos.

Spock barely managed to contain his shock. He put his backpack on the back of his chair and sat down slowly. He stared at all the food in wonder and disgust. He couldn't help but notice that Uhura was not dressed professionally and that she had not brought her backpack.

Spock had been suckered.

"So, Nyota," he said lightly. "This is certainly quite a spread you've ordered. You must be hungry."

"It's not all for me, silly," she said with a laugh. "I wanted to find out what you liked, so I just ordered everything. Go on; dig in!" she encouraged.

He surveyed the food on the table distastefully. There was a one huge, major problem with all of it. He squirmed uncomfortably in his chair. He knew there must be something socially wrong with declining food someone has bought for you. He was fairly certain that if he didn't eat the food, it would emotionally compromise her.

"Well, what's the matter?" she asked teasingly. "It's going to get cold." She was looking at him expectantly. Spock knew then that she had been trying to do something nice for him, and that she wanted to know if the fruits of her labors would pay off. She was about to experience a nasty shock.

"Nyota," he said, trying to sound gentle. He wasn't sure if it was working. "I'm a vegetarian. All Vulcans are."

Her face fell. "But you ordered sausage before!"

"Because I did not know what it was," he said gently.

"I should have asked…or something. I'm sorry, Spock. Uh…" She looked at him helplessly.

"Nyota, why did you ask me to come here tonight?" he asked simply.

She sighed, defeated. "I asked you out under the pretense that we'd be studying because I knew that if it didn't relate to school, you'd never come out with me. I'm sorry," she said miserably.

There was a long, awkward silence. Spock eventually stood up and took a wad of cash out of his pocket. "I think I'm going to go now. Here's for the food," he said, putting the money on the table. He grabbed his backpack. "Bye."

"Bye," she whispered, looking downcast.

Spock hurried back to the dorm as fast as he could. He went into his room and put his backpack down. Kirk was lying face down on the bed, groaning dramatically. Spock stared at him for a moment. "You humans are exasperating. You do things that give you pleasure for a moment, and then you spend hours in agony as a result. I do not see the benefit of having a fleeting taste of enjoyment and then paying for it painfully for the next day."

"Well, I can tell from that one statement that we have nothing in common," Kirk said, rolling over. He narrowed his eyes at Spock. "Are you wearing my pants?"

"I borrowed them, the shirt, and the shoes. I hope you do not mind," Spock said, changing into his pajamas quickly. He got in bed.

Kirk rolled out of bed and picked up the pants that Spock had hung over the back of the desk chair. He dug around in the pocket for a few minutes and blurted out, "I had like, a hundred bucks in here! What happened to it?"

"You treated Cadet Uhura to dinner," Spock replied, his eyes closed.

"Was it a good dinner, at least?" Kirk asked.

"No," he replied.

"Why am I not surprised?" Kirk muttered, tossing his pants on the floor. "Well, I'm going to go after Uhura for a while tomorrow. She'll be all over me really soon, Spock; I promise." He smiled wistfully. "She is a nice piece of work, if you know what I mean."

Spock did know what he meant and he felt an unfamiliar, hot feeling swell up inside of him. It was a strange and unpleasant sensation. It made Spock want to hurt Kirk. It made Spock want to hurt Kirk badly. It confused Spock very much.

"Did you hear me?" Kirk asked, getting back in bed.

"I heard you," he said tonelessly. He squeezed his eyes shut tighter, trying to push out this weird, painful, sad feeling inside of him. It wasn't working. "Good luck," he lied.

The next day, Spock managed to suppress this odd new feeling until he had basically forgotten about it. He was proud of himself. He was still being true to his Vulcan self, even whilst surrounded by humans. Except, today would be a really hard day to try and keep that up. Only, he didn't know that yet.

It started shortly after his first class. He was walking with Uhura, who seemed to have forgotten about their disastrous dinner. She was lugging around a bunch of stuff for a presentation she had later that day. Kirk seemed to appear out of nowhere, saying, "Hey, baby. Can I…offer you _my_ help with that?"

She gave him a sidelong glance. "I'm fine without it."

"You _are_ fine without it," he agreed.

Spock was beginning to experience that horrendous feeling again. He wanted to punch something…Kirk, a wall, a random student walking by, _anything_. Uhura, meanwhile, was laughing at Kirk's comment. "Thanks, Jim," she replied.

"No problem, baby," he said smoothly, smiling slightly. "So I was thinking…maybe we could go out sometime? We could have a drink…or grab dinner. I hear Spock's not much of a dinner companion, but _me_ on the other hand…well, you get the idea."

Spock's jaw tightened almost imperceptibly and he clenched his fists. He should have just sucked it up and ate the meat.

What was he thinking? Where was all of this coming from? _I am in control of my emotions…I am in control of my emotions…_

"Thanks for the invite, but you're just not my type, Jim," she replied.

"What, you don't like handsome, funny, smart, sweet, amazing guys?" he said, running his fingers through his hair.

She smirked. "I like those kinds of guys…like I said, you're not my type."

"Ouch," he said, wincing. Spock hid a smile behind his hand and pretended to cough to further mask it.

Later, Spock, Kirk, Bones, and Uhura were eating lunch together. Randomly, Bones turned to Uhura and said, "So, you're really hot."

She turned bright red. "Um…okay…thank you?"

"We should go out sometime," he said encouragingly. Spock started sawing at his food with his knife, acting like he was oblivious to the situation. In reality, he wanted to punch something again…

"Um, no thank you," she said politely.

"What, is he not your type either?" Kirk asked dryly.

"He's more of my type than you are," she retorted.

Bones gave Kirk a triumphant smile and Kirk hit him on the back of the head. While they started bickering, a guy that Spock didn't know came up to their table. "Hello, Nyota," he said in smooth, masculine voice.

This guy was everything a woman wanted in a man. At least, what most _typical_ women would want. He was certainly very attractive.

Uhura smiled shyly. "Hey, Jeremy." Spock immediately disliked this Jeremy person.

"I've been thinking about you a lot today," he said quietly, running his fingers through his hair. "It's been distracting me in class, which is bad because I'm going to be a Science Officer…"

Spock bent his fork in half. Whoops. Spock decided that this guy was an ugly, misshapen, slobbering idiot who should have never been accepted into Starfleet. This conclusion surprised Spock because there was absolutely no logical evidence to support it.

"What a coincidence!" Uhura said happily. "Spock is going to be a Science Officer, too!" she said, gesturing to Spock.

Spock looked at Jeremy. Jeremy looked at Spock. Then Spock said, "I have a 4.0 GPA; what do you have?"

"3.8," Jeremy replied, very confused.

Spock turned to Uhura and raised an eyebrow. Then he turned back to Jeremy and said, "I'm smarter than you are."

"Good for you," Jeremy said, before turning back to Uhura. "So, maybe we can…go out sometime?" He reached out and held Uhura's hand.

Spock almost choked. He was _touching_ her. Without thinking, he kicked Jeremy under the table. Jeremy jerked backwards, accidentally knocking an open can of soda into Uhura's lap. She jumped up and squealed. Spock hid another smile behind his hand and a cough.

Jeremy, thoroughly embarrassed, apologized profusely and slunk away. Uhura sat back down and cleaned herself up, enduring the teasing remarks from Bones and Kirk. Spock was surprised at himself for doing that…and yet, he had a strange sense of satisfaction because of it.

At that exact moment, a guy that was about average height with short black hair and cocky brown eyes walked up. He looked very sure of himself, and walked with a kind of swagger. "Hey there, lassie," he said in a thick Scottish accent, winking at Uhura.

"Hey, Scotty," she said, taking a sip of her drink.

"Do ya wanna have dinner with me sometime?" he asked, leaning against the table casually. Spock was sorely tempted to stab him in the hand with his fork. Again, he was surprised with himself.

She gave him an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Scotty. You're my friend, but not exactly…_boyfriend_ material."

He shrugged. "A guy can dream. See ya later, lassie." He left. Spock was glad.

Later, Spock and Uhura were doing homework together in the library. She had turned down many other guys that day. Spock didn't like it at all. He liked the fact that she was turning them all down, but he didn't like that so many men were interested in her.

He had been listening to her tell guys that they weren't her type all day, and now he was curious. What _was_ her type? He decided to ask. "Nyota, what type of males do you prefer? Because obviously none of the males here fit your criteria."

"I wouldn't say _none_ of them do," she replied casually. "I like tall guys with dark hair and brown eyes that are very sweet, funny in their own way, extremely intelligent, quiet, and…hard to get," she explained. "And they have to have pointy ears," she added under her breath.

"You have very strict criteria," he commented. "You were correct when you told James that he didn't match up."

"What is with Kirk lately, anyways?" she said suddenly. "He's flirted with me before, but never like this."

"I asked him to," Spock said simply. "I hoped that he would distract you, but he isn't. And besides, I've decided that I no longer want him to pursue you this adamantly."

Uhura looked interested. "Why don't you want him to anymore?"

"Well," he said, struggling to find words to explain it. "It's rather embarrassing, actually. It's an _emotion_," he said with disgust. "It makes me feel warm and angry inside, and like I want to hurt people."

Uhura grinned. "Spock…I think you're _jealous_ of Kirk!"

Spock reddened. "Perhaps I am…," he admitted.

"Don't be embarrassed," she said. "It's a perfectly normal feeling. And besides, it means that you like me, and that's a plus."

"I don't like you!" he blurted out uncomfortably. "I won't like you. I refuse to let myself like you. You're making that very difficult, by the way," he added.

Uhura looked upset. "If it's so hard to keep from liking me, why won't you just give in and like me?! Am I that horrible, that you would try so hard to keep from liking me?"

"No!" he said, shocked. "On the contrary. I was thinking for your well-being when I made this choice. I would drain you emotionally. I couldn't satisfy your emotional needs. Our relationship would be dysfunctional."

"I don't believe that," she said thickly, tears rolling down her cheeks. Spock felt a pang of hurt in his chest. He hated to see her sad, and he knew that he had caused it. By trying to keep her from hurting, he had hurt her. How ironic.

"You say that now, but after a few weeks, a few months, maybe even a few years…you'll wish you hadn't," he said quietly. "You'll wish that you were with someone of your own kind. You won't want me anymore."

"How do you know?" she whispered, still crying. "How do you know that we won't be good for each other?"

"I don't," he replied, looking away. She leaned forward and rested her head on his shoulder. He reluctantly put his arm around her, feeling her body shake as she sobbed quietly. He rested his cheek on her hair. "I'm sorry. I never meant to…emotionally compromise you."

She looked up at him. "I know." And then she leaned upward and kissed him tenderly. It was by far the best thing that had ever happened to Spock, and he threw away the Vulcan in him for once in his life, letting himself completely enjoy her sweet kiss.

Spock went back to his dorm room shortly after kissing Uhura. He was in a daze. His mind was foggy. He had no idea what was going to happen next. Everything that he had strived for his entire life had been obliterated, and yet…why was he so happy? He didn't have an answer for that.

He found Kirk and Bones in his room. "Hello," he said vaguely, sitting down on his bed.

Kirk and Bones exchanged a glance. "What's happening, Spock?" Kirk asked lightly.

"I didn't kiss Uhura, if that's what you're implying!" he blurted out.

Bones practically fell out of the chair he was sitting in. "WHAT?!" he cried. "You _kissed_ Uhura? Like, on the mouth?"

Spock turned bright red and refused to say anything else, which only intensified their curiosity. "Come on, Spock," Kirk pleaded. "We need the juicy details."

"I have no comment on this matter," he mumbled.

"Yes, you do. And you will tell us," Bones insisted.

Spock sighed and said. "We were in the library…"

Both Kirk and Bones leaned forward in their seats, their eyes wide. They looked mesmerized. "Go on," Kirk whispered.

"And we were talking about what kind of guys were her type, and jealousy, and how I could never be in a real relationship…and then she started crying," Spock continued.

Kirk and Bones blanched. "I hate it when women start crying," Bones commented.

"It _was_ rather daunting," Spock agreed. "And…I tried to comfort her, even though I have no clue how to deal with emotionally compromised women."

Kirk and Bones exchanged a look. "Trust me, pal; you're in the same boat with every man on the planet."

"And…we kissed," Spock finished.

"And then what happened?" Bones asked.

"Nothing. I came back here. That's it," Spock finished.

"That's it?" Kirk asked, surprised. "Well, you're new at this, so I guess I shouldn't really be surprised."

Bones nudged Kirk. "Hey, man…maybe we could give the newbie some pointers. It's the least we could do, now that he's got himself a girl."

"That's a great idea, Bones!" Kirk exclaimed.

"I do not understand. What is going on?" Spock asked.

"We're going to teach you some sure-fire techniques that are sure to make you popular with the ladies. In this case, Uhura," Bones said.

Spock reddened. "No…that's not necessary. Really, I do not feel comfortable broaching this subject."

"We're trying to help you, Spock," Kirk said.

Spock squirmed slightly. "Well…alright, I suppose. Where do we start?"

"Well, when you go out with a girl, you want to make sure you look nice. Girls don't like going out with slobs. So put on some nice clothes…I guess there's really nothing you can do about your hair, eyebrows, and ears," Kirk said.

"She likes my ears!" Spock protested.

"Whatever. And make sure you smell good. If there's anything girls hate, it's a guy that smells like he doesn't shower or doesn't brush his teeth. So wear cologne, just to be sure," Bones added.

Spock made a face. "I do not like the smell of cologne. It makes me want to vomit."

"Well, the point is that she likes the smell of cologne, not you," Bones interjected. "Anyway, there are also some snazzy one-liners that you can say to girls to let them know that you're interested. My personal favorite is: baby, are you from another planet? Because your ass is out of this world."

"That's highly inappropriate," Spock said.

"There's also: If I could rearrange the alphabet, I'd put U and I together," Kirk said. "And my favorite one is: Are you from Tennessee? 'Cause you're the only ten I see."

"Did you bring your library card? 'Cause I am checking you out," Bones said.

"Did you bring a map? 'Cause I'm getting lost in your eyes," Kirk jumped in.

"Was your father an alien? 'Cause there's nothing else like you on earth!" Bones exclaimed.

Spock gave him a look. "I find that offensive."

"Sorry," Bones apologized.

"You must be from Pearl Harbor, because baby, you're the bomb," Kirk said.

Spock looked confused. "I don't understand. Pearl Harbor?"

"Just forget that one," Kirk said dismissively.

"If you were a booger, I'd pick you first," Bones said.

Spock looked alarmed. "That's revolting! I think I've heard enough of these one-liners for one night."

"We've got more," Kirk said.

"_Loads_ more," Bones agreed.

"No, thank you," Spock said firmly. "Let's move on. Or, better yet, we could end this ridiculous discussion right now."

"We're not finished with you yet," Kirk said. "So, if you really want to let her know you're interested, whack her on the butt and tell her that she's hot."

Spock stood up. "Goodbye." He left the room.

Spock decided to take a walk. He didn't actually walk any farther than the picnic table in front of the main building. He sat there, alone with his thoughts. His thoughts, however, soon strayed to Uhura and to the advice Kirk and Bones gave him.

He immediately decided that he would not use any of the pick-up lines that they had recommended. He would definitely not perform the indecent act of perversion that Kirk had told him to do right before Spock left. He wouldn't really do anything that they had told him to do.

And yet, he knew one thing for certain. And that thing was mind-boggling. It went against everything he had done in his life thus far. But he had to do it.

He was in love with Uhura, and he wanted to be with her.

At that exact moment, his phone rang. It surprised Spock. No one had his number except for his parents. He fumbled through his pockets and finally unearthed the phone. He flipped it open and held it up to his ear. "Hello?" he said.

"Spock!" his mother exclaimed.

"Hello, mother," Spock said, a slight smile crossing his face. It soon disappeared.

"Spock, your father just told me something, and I _cannot_ believe he didn't tell me sooner. And I remember you saying something about it, but you didn't stress the seriousness of the situation," she went on.

"Mother, I am most certain that I do not know what you are talking about," he told her.

"Of course you do! I'm talking about the girl who likes you!" Amanda gushed.

Spock reddened. "What exactly did father you tell you?"

"He explained to me how girls were behaving around you. Especially the behavior of one girl in particular. Nyota Uhura. He told me that she had taken a romantic interest in you. I'm quoting him when I say that. Tell me all about it!" his mother said excitedly.

Spock sighed. "I have no comment on this matter."

"_Spock_," she said pleadingly.

"Alright; fine. She has feelings for me, as you humans say. We…," he coughed, too embarrassed to continue.

"You…?" she asked, insatiably curious.

"Wekissedinthelibrarytonight!" he blurted out in a jumbled heap.

His mother shrieked. Spock had to hold the phone away from his ear while his mom had an epic freak-out. "You _kissed_ her? What was it like?" she hounded, when she had regained control of herself.

"It was…a very pleasant experience," Spock mumbled.

She laughed. "Oh, sweetie, I'm so happy for you. I'm so glad you found someone that you like. Oh, Spock…you're making me feel old," she said, laughing some more.

"Mother, what do I do?" he asked urgently. "I don't understand how humans think, much less how human _females_ think. I don't know what to do next. I don't know how to make her…stay."

"Oh, Spock," she said sympathetically. "What's most important is to just be yourself."

"Great advice," he said sarcastically.

"No, I'm serious," she said. "Don't pretend to be someone you're not, because you can't keep up a charade like that forever. Be honest. Listen to her. Be sweet and courteous. Honey, you're not going to have any problems with this; trust me."

"I suppose," he said dubiously.

"I miss you, sweetie," she said wistfully. "I haven't seen you in so long."

"I miss you, too," he replied softly.

"I love you," she told him.

"I know. Goodbye, mother." He hung up the phone.

Uhura sat next to Spock at lunch the next day. She put her arms around him and kissed him on the cheek. "Hey, you," she whispered. Several people at the next table wolf-whistled.

Spock reddened. "Hello, Nyota. I wasn't aware that we were going to publicly display our affections for each other."

She kissed him on the cheek again. "Why not? We like each other, don't we?."

Spock started choking on the salad he was eating. He regained his composure and decided to ignore what Uhura had just said to him. He didn't know if he was ready to go around confessing the fact that he occasionally had emotions.

"So, I was thinking we could go out tonight," she said simply.

"What exactly do you have in mind?" Spock asked.

"There's this new exhibit at the art museum downtown that's focusing on alien cultures, primarily on alien cultures that are closely allied with earth. There's supposed to be a lot of Vulcan stuff there. I was wondering if you wanted to go with me," she asked.

He mulled this over for a moment. "I suppose it would be educational," he decided.

"How? You're _from_ Vulcan," she said, puzzled.

"I meant for you. What better way to learn about Vulcan culture than to have a Vulcan explaining museum exhibits to you?" he explained.

She laughed. "How very _logical_ of you."

Later that night, Spock borrowed some of Kirk's clothes, and Kirk and Bones had to wrestle him to the ground in the attempt to spray him with cologne. He finished getting ready and went down to meet Uhura. She was wearing a fitted black dress and had let her hair down.

Spock blinked. "Hello," he said, scratching his head.

She gave him an odd smile. "Hello."

"I find your appearance to be very satisfying this evening, Nyota," he said politely.

"Well, thanks," she said, grinning. She gave him a quick hug. "You're looking pretty spiffy yourself."

"Um…thank you," he replied, even though he was unfamiliar with this human slang term.

They took a bus up to the museum, an experience which Spock disliked so much that he blocked it out of his mind. They went in and went immediately to the collection of Vulcan paintings and Vulcan traditional objects.

The very first thing in the room was a wall-sized painting of Vulcan. Spock stared at it. Uhura took him by the arm and looked at it also, waiting for Spock to say something. "It's beautiful," she said finally.

"Yes," Spock said thickly. "It is. Let us move on. I do not desire to observe this any longer." Spock quickly surveyed the objects in the room and turned to Uhura, saying, "These exhibits display some deeply personal and deeply cultural Vulcan traditions. They are meaningless to humans, but since I am here, you probably expect me to explain to you what is happening. I will do my best, but I will forewarn you that very few humans know the inner workings of Vulcan culture, so this should be a privilege for you."

"I understand," she said solemnly.

The next two objects in the room were two traditional Vulcan weapons in large, glass cases. Spock cocked his head and almost smiled. "The _lirpa_," Spock said fondly, motioning to a large, axe-type weapon. It was a long, metal staff. At one end was a sharp blade in the shape of a half-circle. On the other end was a tear-drop shaped, solid metal bludgeoning device.

Uhura winced. "It looks dangerous. And kind of scary."

"I have many interesting memories of learning to wield a _lirpa_. They are deadly weapons when used accurately," he explained.

"I'm pretty sure they'd be deadly no matter how accurately they were used," she retorted, raising an eyebrow at it. She gestured to the weapon next to it. "What's that?"

"That is an _ahn-woon_," he explained. The _ahn-woon_ was a long strip of leather with a heavy, metal sphere attached at each end. "They can be used to strike people and to strangle them. They are very effective, but difficult to manage if you do not know how to use one."

They moved on to the next painting. It was a large picture depicting a male Vulcan crouched on the ground, a savage look in his eyes. Uhura drew closer to Spock instinctively. When Spock didn't say anything, she asked, "What's wrong with him?'

"_Pon farr_," he said after a long pause. He said it very quietly, almost inaudibly.

"What does that mean?" she asked.

"It is difficult to explain…," he murmured. "It is a very private affair. There shouldn't be a painting of it. Humans…do not understand."

"Try me," she argued.

"It has to do with…biology. _Vulcan_ biology," he said uncomfortably.

"Like…reproduction?" she asked, thoroughly confused.

"Don't say it out loud!" he hissed. "Every seven years…a Vulcan must return home to be with his or her spouse or they will die. It is an ancient tradition, and unfortunately, it is inescapable. It strips us of all our logic and turns us back into the primitive, emotional beings that we once were. It is an extremely painful and humiliating time for all Vulcans. We do not talk about it amongst our people unless absolutely necessary," he explained.

The next painting was of a Vulcan woman and the man from the previous painting standing in front of a large, rectangular gong set in the middle of a large, rocky arena type place. They were flanked by men dressed in strange outfits, bearing boards with bells on them and _lirpa_. "What's happening in this painting?" Uhura asked.

"He has found his mate and now they are going through _koon-ut-kal-if-fee_…the Vulcan marriage ceremony," Spock explained.

The next painting showed two Vulcan males fighting with _lirpa_. Both were battered and bloody and on the verge of death. The entourage from before and the woman from before were standing off to the side.

"She has rejected the man that was chosen as her mate and invoked _kal-if-fee_. Now he must fight against her lover if he desires to fulfill _pon farr_ and fulfill the commitment that he made to her as a child," Spock explained.

"Wait, what?" Uhura asked, doing a double take. "What do you mean that he made a commitment to her as a child?"

"They made commitments to each other as children of but seven years old. They vowed that they would marry when they came of age and _pon farr_ took them. She is technically defiling her agreement and _kal-if-fee_ is rare, but it does occur. It is the right of the female," Spock explained.

"I don't understand," she said, visibly upset.

"Have you not ever wondered how Vulcans choose their mates?" Spock inquired.

"No. Not really. Now I have to know…_Spock_," she said, giving him an evil look.

"Vulcans are betrothed as children, knowing that when they come of age and experience _pon farr_, they will marry. They can separate from each other if the female invokes _kal-if-fee_, or if another male wishes to wed the same female, but as I said before, this is rare," Spock explained, wondering why she wanted to know so much about _pon farr_, _koon-ut-kal-if-fee_, and _kal-if-fee_.

"So…how did your father marry a human, then?" Uhura asked.

"My father's fiancée died in a tragic accident shortly after they were betrothed. My father was then free to wed anyone he wished, including a human," Spock said.

Uhura's eyes filled with tears. "What about _you_?"

Spock was quiet for a long time. He understood now why she was so upset and why she was so curious. She wanted to know if he was free for the taking. "I am betrothed to a woman named T'Pring. I haven't seen her since I was seven," he whispered.

Uhura slapped Spock across the face. "How could you lie to me?" she hissed. "Why didn't you tell me you were supposed to get married?"

Spock grabbed her wrists. "Nyota, calm yourself," he said soothingly. "It is not like you are thinking. I feel nothing for T'Pring. Socially, I am obligated to her, but I am emotionally obligated to _you_. Do not concern yourself over it. I haven't gone into _pon farr_ yet and maybe by the time I do, T'Pring will not desire me, or she will be dead, or something convenient like that. Please understand that I did not mean to deceive you. I had not even remembered T'Pring until seeing these paintings. I apologize for the miscommunication."

Uhura sniffled and eyed him warily. "What does she look like?"

Spock looked dumbfounded. "I…I don't know. I haven't seen her since I was seven. I barely remember her as she was then, and I have no idea what she is now."

Uhura rolled her shoulders and pried her arms from his grasp. "I guess that's good enough for me," she sighed. She gave him a half smile. "I guess I'll just enjoy you for as long as I can." She hugged him.

"Let's leave this place," Spock suggested. "As refreshing as it was to see the relics of my homeland, it has begun to make me feel strange and heavy inside, and learning the inner workings of our culture has proved to be too much for you, Nyota."

She rolled her eyes, but she agreed. After they got home, Spock walked her up to her dorm. "Goodnight, Nyota," Spock said quietly. After much difficulty, he managed to say, "I…I…_care_…about you…deeply."

She smiled and kissed him. "I care about you deeply also, Spock."


End file.
